The Shadows of My Heart
by RaliNeoBlade
Summary: A/U. After Gokuu's death at Cell's hands, someone dies who shouldn't have. Gohan grows up to be haunted and reclusive, Goten as his only comfort. What happens when Bulma forces the bitter demi-saiyajin to go to high school? Possibly G/V
1. Ch 0 Goodbye to One, Hello Another

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, or any of its characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama. I own this plotline, however.  
  
AU plotline: What if Chichi had died having Goten, and Gohan blamed himself for everything?  
  
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THE SHADOWS OF MY HEART  
  
Prologue-- Goodbye to One, Hello Another  
Eleven-year old Gohan paced impatiently, eyes glued to the white tile floor, mind a million miles away. He worriedly gnawed at his bottom lip, not even aware of the action that had become habit. The other people in the room radiated a similar anxiety, except for Piccolo and Vejiita, who were meditating and leaning against the wall by the door, respectively.  
  
They were in the hospital, and Chichi was somewhere in the rooms beyond the said door. Pretty soon, Gohan was going to have a little brother or sister. They hadn't wanted the doctors to tell them which.  
  
//Mom hasn't been the same since Dad died,// Gohan thought, still pacing. //She never really got over it, and she's not well. I don't know what I'd do if she doesn't make it through this.// Gohan didn't give form to the thought that he, too, was different since Gokuu's death, everyone was.  
  
//She took it hard when she found out he was gone,// Gohan remembered, and his gnawing increased speed. He could see it in his mind's eye, like it was yesterday. He had been tearful himself, hesitating, not quite ready to tell his mother the news, though he knew he had to. The admittance to Chichi would be like acceptance, acknowledgment that Gokuu was gone for good, and Gohan didn't think he'd ever be ready for that.  
  
He had done it anyway, his already bleeding heart stomped even further as the words passed his lips; "Mom, I-I don't know how to say this, but..Dad didn't make it." Chichi's eyes, so filled with gladness when her son had come home, drained slowly of the emotion, replaced with one he knew was reflected in his own eyes.  
  
"What?" she'd whispered, her hands falling to her sides as her father, the Ox-King, cried out.  
  
"W-when Cell was going to self-destruct a-and blow up the Earth, h-he took him away with Instant Transmission a-and was caught in the b-blast." The words came haltingly, unwillingly, but he forced them past the sudden lump in his throat.  
  
Gohan had lowered his head painfully, heard the dull thud as Chichi fell to the ground and began weeping.  
  
She'd grown thinner since then, and quieter. He'd pass by her door sometimes at night and hear sounds of muffled sobbing. Only sometimes. She went about normally most of the time, nagging at him to study and reproving him when he came home from sneaking out to train. A smile played across Gohan's mouth at the memory and his pacing slowed slightly.  
  
She'd gotten worse, not better, when they found out she was pregnant. He had a feeling she spent most of her time thinking of how Gokuu would never get to know his second son, or vice versa. He worried about her constantly, and here they were.  
  
"Gohan." His head snapped up and he jerked to a halt in his pacing as he heard his name. Bulma gave him a wavering smile, and said, "You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up." He stared blankly at her. What did the floor matter when his mother, his only living relative since the Ox-King had died six months ago, was probably wailing in pain at that very moment? When it was possible she wasn't going to live through the next few hours? His mind couldn't seem to register that she was joking.  
  
Bulma sensed this and tried again. "You look like you're going to bite through your lip, Gohan." He released his lip in surprise, just realizing that he had been chewing on it. Running his tongue over the inside, he tasted blood. Bulma got up and came over to him in concern. "You *did* bite through it!"  
  
Gohan shrugged sheepishly and waved her hand away as she went to look at it. "It's nothing, Bulma, really. It doesn't hurt at all, honestly, I had no idea what I was doing." He struggled to smile at her and came up with a half grin that clearly showed his anxiety.  
  
"Oh, Gohan," Bulma murmured compassionately. "Don't worry about Chichi, she's been through this once already, remember? She's a tough girl, your mom, and she can take it. If a fragile, untrained woman like me can have a half-saiyajin kid, then it's gotta be no sweat for her."  
  
Gohan, amused at the thought of Bulma being described as *fragile*, nodded distractedly, but was betrayed by how his eyes flickered to the doorway. Bulma sighed when she realized he wasn't going to be able to settle down, patted his shoulder, then went over to speak to Vejiita quietly.  
  
The young saiyajin glanced at his mentor with envy; he didn't know how Piccolo could possibly meditate, looking so calm, at a time like this. Then again, it wasn't his mother who was in danger here.  
  
Struck by a sudden thought, a shadow passed over Gohan's eyes. //I'm responsible for Dad's death, my own stupid pride and saiyajin bloodlust. He told me that Cell was still a threat, even when I was so much stronger. What did I do? Ignore the advice of the one so much older and more experienced than me, and cause his death. Him dying, in turn, caused Mom to become so weak with grief. If she dies now, it will be my fault, too.//  
  
He closed his eyes painfully, echoes of his own thoughts reverberating in his mind. //It'll be my fault..// He couldn't escape his own guilt even now. Because of him, his little brother or sister would grow up without a dad, never knowing the great man from which their awesome powers came. Gohan had sworn to himself that he would be as good a father figure as he could possibly be at his young age. He would comfort his sibling in any times of loneliness, and retell them of all the adventures of their sire.  
  
It was part of the reason why he never went out and contradicted Hercule when he went out and declared that he had defeated Cell. Since Gohan took absolutely no credit for it, the man who had truly defeated the monster was dead, as good as by Gohan's own hand. How could he possibly deserve the gratitude of millions when his own desire for pain had cost his father his life?  
  
He hadn't even thought about consequences; *everything* was about consequences. He had seen the naked fear and helplessness on Cell's face and *reveled* in it. The pain he had inflicted was sweet joy. How could he claim to be a hero when he was tainted with such a feeling? What made him any different than all the countless enemies he fought if he purposely drew it out, taunting the weak? If Cell could be called such a thing. Before his transformation, he himself knew the agony, the fear of being that powerless. Then the second he had more power it went straight to his head and he turned around and inflicted the same feeling on someone else? What kind of person was he? That stupid, *useless* power, which so many would kill to have, still couldn't prevent the one he loved most from slipping forever beyond his grasp.  
  
"Hey!" A gruff voice and a green hand shaking him knocked him roughly back to reality. Gohan looked up to see Piccolo staring at him.  
  
It was then Gohan noticed that he was surrounded by a white aura, his whole body was tense, and he had powered up, as high as he could go without turning super saiyajin. Still pounding with remorse and anger against himself, he dropped his power down to normal and nodded slightly to Piccolo in apology.  
  
"You okay, kid?" Piccolo said, searching his face.  
  
"Just a little strained, is all," he replied, his voice strangled.  
  
Not used to giving any words of comfort, and certainly not able to break through his hard exterior enough to offer solace, Piccolo merely nodded and clapped Gohan on the shoulder. His dark eyes spoke volumes of his concern, however, and Gohan felt a sudden rush of gratitude to his teacher. He knew when to stay silent and let a person alone with their thoughts, something that wasn't true about Bulma.  
  
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to go back to his former line of thinking without getting worked up again, Gohan dropped into a seat along the wall and put all of his concentration into his hearing. Saiyajin hearing was quite a bit more keen than human, more like a wolf's, so Gohan knew that he might be able to hear something from where his mother was being kept. He knew he should just wait for the doctor like a good little boy, but he couldn't stand it.  
  
Unfortunately, the waiting room was located just outside the rooms where the newborns were kept, and their cries stifled any of his attempts to hear further. Straining a bit harder, Gohan managed to pick up faint footsteps, coming closer. It sounded like..a rather sturdily built male, judging by the footfall..around thirty years old..with a slight limp in the left leg. It had to be the doctor taking care of Chichi. He had observed all of the above qualities in the man when he'd brought his mother to the hospital.  
  
Gohan stood up and walked to the door just as it swung open and the doctor, looking startled that someone knew he was coming, came through. Everyone in the room looked their way and half rose out of their seats, but waited for Gohan to make the first move. He didn't. He waited, too, watching the doctor carefully, his whole body tense.  
  
The doctor smiled broadly, but with a tinge of sadness that Gohan's sharp eyesight didn't miss. "Congratulations, young man," he said to Gohan. "You have a brand new baby brother!" Sounds of happiness were heard through the room, and Gohan himself gave a slight smile before worry came over him again.  
  
"How's my mother?" he asked immediately. The doctor didn't seem to hear him.  
  
"Yes, he's a healthy little tyke!" he announced, grinning, but still with that hint of remorse. "Good set of lungs, too!"  
  
"How. Is. My. Mother," Gohan repeated tightly, spacing each word slightly apart. The man glanced at Gohan, then quickly away, which was all the painful confirmation that the boy needed.  
  
"I'm sorry, sonny," the doctor said regretfully. "But she was awfully weak, and not very well prepared for the onset of labor. She didn't make it. I'm so sorry."  
  
There were gasps of shock all around the room, but Gohan didn't hear them. A strange ringing was chiming in his mind, and his chest was getting tighter and tighter. His mother.dead? _That just can't be,_ he thought dazedly. //She was..is..the strongest woman in the world! She couldn't die from bringing a life into the world..She wouldn't...She can't- She can't do this to me..//  
  
Murmurs of "Oh, God, Chichi.." and "Poor Gohan." were echoing in the room, going in one ear and out the other of the young saiyajin. All he could see was his mother's smiling face, scolding, laughing, and crying as flickers of memory came to him from who knows where. Then she was gone, and his father's face replaced her. Serious in the face of battle, comically stuffed with food, then giving the handsome, slightly silly smile that Gohan himself had inherited.  
  
Gohan's throat constricted unexpectedly as his thoughts from earlier came back to haunt him. //My fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault.....//  
  
"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" he screamed suddenly, and, not wanting to see the others' reactions to his shameful outburst, he blurred out of sight, streaking down the hall, desperately seeking his mother's life force, but knowing that he would never find it. He would never feel it again.  
  
Tears dimmed his vision, but he didn't need his sight to feel what he did next.  
  
He stopped suddenly and stared at the door to the left of him, feeling the vibrant new life force within the room on the other side. It felt strangely familiar, but yet Gohan was convinced that he had never felt it before in his life. Hesitantly, he pushed open the door and saw that his mother was lying peacefully, utterly still, under the pristine sheets of the hospital bed. Vaguely, Gohan realized that they must have moved her, because she would have been surrounded by blood if she had given birth there.  
  
There was a strange ache at the bottom of his heart and his throat constricted. The words he couldn't express howled in his mind, coming out as a muffled choke. Then Gohan did what he had trained himself to do over the years- he took all of the pain, grief, and self-revulsion and rolled it into a little ball and buried it deep in the recesses of his consciousness. But this time, it wouldn't go deep enough.  
  
There was a small bundle placed in Chichi's motionless hands, and it was stirring restlessly, a thin, but noisy voice clamoring to be placated. Gohan approached the bed slowly, knowing that he might not like what he saw. Standing right next to the bed, he still couldn't see his little sibling underneath the cloth it was wrapped in, but he took his mom's hand nonetheless. He flinched- not quite yet the icy cold that it would be in time, her hand was a lot chillier than he knew it should be, and limp. She was gone.  
  
Finally letting the tears he had been holding back flow over his numb cheeks, Gohan laid Chichi's arm across her stomach gently. Then he picked up his brother, and the moved the blanket to uncover his undoubtedly wrinkled, newborn face.  
  
He nearly dropped the tiny boy when he found himself staring into his father's smooth, clear face, but his arms had luckily frozen up in shock. The baby had stopped wailing, and was staring at Gohan, quiet.  
  
Moved by the memories inspired by that familiar gaze, Gohan couldn't help give thought to the ridiculous idea that his brother his father's reincarnation, somehow come back to give him another chance at making up for all of his past mistakes.  
  
"Goten," he breathed, his exhalation stirring the young one's downy hair as he remembered what they had been going to name the child if it were a boy. Gohan smiled, ever so slightly. He may not be able to forgive himself just yet..Maybe not ever..But he could make sure to try, by giving Goten all his love that had no other outlets.  
  
His eyes misty again, Gohan bent over and pressed a final kiss to Chichi's forehead. "Bye, Mom," he whispered, feeling another hit score against his battered heart. "Say hi to Dad for me."  
  
Gohan straightened, cradling his precious bundle carefully. His parents might be gone.But he could already feel Goten filling the place they had left. Maybe.Just maybe his little godsend of a brother could heal his soul completely. Giving one last, tiny smile, the young saiyajin hero blurred out of the hospital, and into the next epic saga of his life.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
A/N- Who should I pair Gohan with? Videl? An original character? Or an old character that I'm bringing into the story whether you like it or not? (No, I'm not going to say who she is. Guess.) Please let me know your opinion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RaliNeoBlade: Thanks for reading! Review! 


	2. Ch 1 The Real World

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, or any of its characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama. I own this plotline, however.  
  
AU plotline: What if Chichi had died having Goten, and Gohan blamed himself for everything?  
  
Translations: Gaki = boy (insulting, like 'brat') Ani = older brother, when oneself is talking about him.  
  
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THE SHADOWS OF MY HEART  
  
Chapter One-- The Real World  
**Seven years later**  
A tall young man with night black hair and sharp ebony eyes walked the streets of the famous Satan City; home of the World Champion of Martial Arts, who had saved the world seven years ago. This boy wasn't noticeably different at first sight from the other people around him, other than the way his hair defied gravity. However, on closer inspection, one could see the way he held himself, and almost feel the aura emitting from the youth, and then there would be no doubt in one's mind that this boy was something else.  
  
It wasn't just that he was extraordinarily good looking, or that he had arrived on the outskirts of the city with no sign of a car. To the seasoned eye, he stood like a fighter. His stance was somewhat relaxed, but that didn't hide the proud tilt of his head, or the alert way in which he was aware of his surroundings, or the almost unnatural swiftness of his movements at all times.  
  
He took in the setting with a curiosity that belied the fact that he was new to the area, but he wasn't gawking, as was usual of tourists. Nor was he dressed in tourist garb. There was no camera hanging around his neck, no sunglasses, or visor. He wore a pair of beat up jeans, a loose white shirt, and a black jacket covering his muscular arms. Despite the casual getup, women eyed him appreciatively as he walked by. The looks weren't returned, as the boy seemed to have no concern for anyone around him.  
  
The young man was entering one of the more popular areas of the city, centered around the Orange Star High School and the Satan City Mall. At the moment, he was on a street lined with all kinds of different shops: manicure and pedicure, coffee shops, fast food restaurants, small clothing stores, and everything inbetween.  
  
//It might as well be my first time here, it's been so long,// Gohan thought, a bit disturbed. //Everything's changed so much. I wonder if I'll even be able to *find* Capsule Corp.// As he passed by, a girl gave him a look over, earning him the hostile glare of her boyfriend. //What is *with* all these people looking at me today?// he wondered, slightly irate. //I took special care that there was nothing unusual about my appearance.// He didn't want any unnecessary attention, though there wasn't any reasonable cause for his concern.  
  
Gohan came to a spot where the street widened out considerably, so that there would be room for a small grassy island inbetween the two lanes. Just enough space to fit in a fairly large statue there.  
  
"That guy's got a hell of an ego." he murmured to himself, frowning at the stone construction with disgust. Hairy arms, huge afro, even bigger mouth.Yup, it was Mr. Satan all right. Just because the young saiyajin had allowed the so-called champion to claim credit for defeating Cell didn't mean he liked how the man took advantage of his situation so outrageously.  
  
The statue captured the essence of the man completely.Mr. Satan was in one of his ridiculous poses, his mouth wide in the empty-headed, arrogant smile that he used so often. Gohan felt his lip curling, he couldn't help it. //That man has his head even further up his ass than Vejiita does his own.//  
  
An almost smirk crossed Gohan's face as he came up with an idea. Looking up and down the street quickly, he crossed it and walked over to the statue. He laid one hand on it, as if reverentially looking up to a hero. He discharged a subtle wave of energy into the rock, but not enough to do it serious damage. The next person who approached this statue was in for a surprise.It would most likely crumble into dust the moment it was touched.  
  
Being careful not to touch the statue again, Gohan went back to the sidewalk and continued on his way, no worse for the wear. //I can't believe I had to resort to such petty means for a bit of revenge.// Gohan mused. //Or maybe that's a good thing that I reacted so normally. Most people are slightly petty, at least I think so..//  
  
Realizing that wandering around the city would do him no good, Gohan stopped in front of a movie theater, deciding to pursue a solution logically. //There's no way I can get lost; I could just follow Bulma and Vejiita's chi to find their location. I'm also early, and I don't want to get there early; if Bulma thinks that I hang on her every whim like when I was little, she's got another thing coming.//  
  
The saiyajin teen hadn't seen or talked to Bulma, Vejiita, or their son since Chichi had died. In fact, he had not seen anyone from the Z gang in quite some time. The last had been Kuririn and Juuhachi two years back, but not since then.  
  
It would have continued that way had he not found a semi urgent message from Bulma on his answering machine. He didn't know why she wanted him at Capsule Corp., but he found no plausible reason to back out of the meeting, other than the fact it made him feel strangely uneasy. So Gohan was forced to comply. He did, however, make sure that he called to affirm when Bulma was asleep, so he wouldn't have to actually talk to her.  
  
A unpleasant rumbling sound was emitting from his stomach. He recognized the complaint for what it was, and knew that he couldn't ignore his inherited hunger. It would just result in abdominal pain as the uncomfortably empty organ tried to cajole him into getting something to eat.  
  
"I guess it's food, then," he sighed, resigned to spending a little of his pocket cash. It wasn't as though he were lacking in the money department; he had entered a few miscellaneous fighting tournaments over the years, spacing them out so he wouldn't be recognized. He also did an occasional odd job, which, coupled with his winnings, his father's past winnings, and his mother's savings, were well enough to keep he and Goten comfortable. Perhaps this was due to the fact that a large portion of their food they fished for, or hunted, themselves.  
  
Though all of Gohan's past experiences with saiyajin pointed to the fact that they would eat just about anything, Goten had proven to be a slightly picky eater. This had surprised the older saiyajin, because his brother could still pack plenty of food away when he had something he liked. Fortunately for them, the six-year old was mostly just particular about fruits and vegetables. He liked the fish and game that were abundant in their mountain area.  
  
Smiling inwardly as he thought of his younger sibling but outwardly maintaining an indifferent visage, Gohan searched for a fast food restaurant. He knew that he should eat in one of those places because it wouldn't seem strange if he ordered a lot of food. He spotted one that had a large sign marked by two golden arches above the building and walked inside. Luckily for the starving teen, there wasn't much of a line, and he got to order without having to wait very long.  
  
He had glanced over the menu before he ordered, and eyed the size of the burgers skeptically. What he wouldn't give for one of his mom's huge, homecooked meals right now.Gohan ruthlessly cut off that line of thought.  
  
"I'll take one of everything," he said calmly. The man behind the register didn't bat an eye at what must have been a fairly unusual request. //I guess they get group orders,// Gohan speculated, not knowing why he cared about something so mundane.  
  
"One of everything?" a voice behind him sneered. It was out of the normal hearing range of a human, but well within that of a saiyajin. "I bet this guy can't afford regular groceries, so he has to buy fast food for a month. I mean, look at his clothes!"  
  
Gohan bristled immediately, but kept a cold exterior, holding a tight rein on his anger. //Your kind of anger can get you and the people around you killed, Gohan, remember that,// was one of the lessons that he had drilled into himself over the years. //Some punk is insulting you, not even knowing who you are, and you're going to let him get away with it?// his saiyajin side argued. He ignored it to take his numbered receipt from the waiter and sit at one of the side chairs.  
  
He hadn't turned around to look at the person who had plucked at his temper, but now he could look at him without seeming to. Gohan's dark, shadowed eyes darted to a ridiculously muscled boy with long blonde hair that reached to his shoulder blades while his ears confirmed his suspicions. The boy gave a mocking laugh to one of the girls standing near him, and Gohan matched his voice. His eyes narrowed.  
  
//He's wearing a black tank top and denim jeans, and he's talking about how *I* dress?// Gohan snorted mentally. Must be a dumb jock. Gohan had never met one before, being as isolated as he was, but this guy perfectly matched the description. One of his companions seemed to be about to say something, so he keyed in.  
  
"Lay off, Sharpner." It was a girl with long red hair and a pretty face who spoke. "It isn't nice to always go off on everyone you see. The guy's probably just picking up food for a party or something, give him a break."  
  
Gohan felt slightly gratified, nodding slightly, even though the girl's thought wasn't true. 'Sharpner's other friend with short blonde hair responded next.  
  
"Did you get a good look at that guy? He's hot! Way, way, hot!" she giggled, and Gohan successfully kept a blush from his face, reminding himself that he wasn't supposed to be able to hear their conversation. "Wonder if he goes to our school? He looks about the same age."  
  
The Sharpener rolled his eyes as the red haired girl stepped up to place their orders. "Honestly, Erasa!" he said, sounding like it was something he'd said before. "The guy didn't look like anything special to me. He's a wimpy geek! If you're looking for someone to ogle, I'm right here!"  
  
Gohan's feelings of gratification evaporated in face of the larger offense. He looked sourly at the blonde pretty-boy. He wasn't vain or anything, but the comment was definitely insulting. //Plain as the carpet, am I?//  
  
"94? 94!" Gohan winced as his number came over the loudspeaker. Sensitive hearing was sometimes a bad thing.  
  
"I heard you the first time," he said irritably as he walked over and began to stack tray on top of tray of food. Eventually, the stack was ten trays tall, but Gohan managed to get it to a booth without dropping anything other than a few fries. He felt oddly morose about that, and for a moment half considered picking them up and eating them anyway. //Five minute rule.Nah.// The tantalizing smell of the greasy food was far too alluring to worry about a few measly fries.  
  
"Hey. Hey, Sharpner." Gohan couldn't help but hear the blonde girl, Erasa, whispering. "We're gonna get a place near that hot guy, all right? Come over when you have the food."  
  
"Erasa!" the red headed girl giggled, feigning reluctance, but allowed herself to be dragged into a booth that was opposite the table where Gohan was sitting.  
  
Feeling unusually self-conscious, Gohan didn't gorge, like he usually did. It would take him forever to eat all of the food at the slow, measured pace he was at now, and his stomach was screaming in protest, but he'd gone days without food before. This was no biggie. Just as long as he didn't stuff his face.  
  
"Hi there!" Erasa said brightly, striving to gain the handsome saiyajin's attention. Gohan looked up at her, setting down his fifth hamburger. His self-consciousness was gone, replaced by the apathy that had characterized him since his parents' death.  
  
"Yes?" he said indifferently. He noticed the girl with red hair looking at him, too, but he didn't much care if he had been kind of rude. They wanted to talk to him, they'd have to deal with his answers. Erasa, however, wasn't put off so easily.  
  
"I'm Erasa, and this is Angela," she said, gesturing toward her friend. "Just wanted to say hi, you look kind of lonely." Gohan, of course, wasn't looking any such thing, but Erasa winked suggestively anyway. Gohan rolled his eyes, but it wasn't visible.  
  
"Oh," he said, then noticed that they were waiting for something. Sighing, Gohan reached over and shook both of their hands.. No matter how much he didn't want to talk to them, Chichi had always raised him to be polite, and even after six years without her influence, he still couldn't be *extremely* rude. "Gohan."  
  
"Gohan?" a male voice snorted. "What kind of name is that?" The three teens turned around, and saw, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, that Sharpner had arrived with the girls' food. Gohan's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, while Angela smacked Sharpner on the back of the head as he sat down.  
  
"Gohan is a perfectly good name," Erasa pouted.  
  
"Your name isn't any better," Angela pointed out smugly.  
  
"Oh?" Gohan's eyes widened innocently, hiding the maliciousness he was feeling. //Control your anger, stupid boy!// his mind shouted, but he wasn't listening. "What's your name, Blonde Boy?"  
  
"It's Sharpner, and if you know what's good for you, you won't make fun of my hair again, geek," Sharpner snarled. He didn't know why, but he was feeling strangely defensive around the dark haired stranger. Maybe it was because Erasa and Angela obviously found him so attractive. He was feeling a definite threat to his manhood.  
  
Gohan stared at Sharpner intensely. He didn't know why the blonde teen was reacting so badly to him, but he wasn't about to try and make 'amends' for something he hadn't done. If Sharpner wanted to get on his bad side, he wouldn't warn him.  
  
"So, Gohan," Erasa chirped, ignoring the tension in the air. "I've never seen you around OSH, do you go there? How old are you?"  
  
//They're not going to try and start a conversation, are they?// "Seventeen," Gohan replied, lying slightly, and still insisting on giving short answers. Though technically he had been born seventeen years ago, the year in a day inside the Room of Spirit and Time made him physically eighteen. However, he had decided to keep this a secret, since nobody would believe him, anyway. "What's OSH?"  
  
The trio stared at him. "Only the most famous high school in the city," Sharpner said finally. "What, have you been living under a rock or something?"  
  
"Well, being home schooled is basically the same thing, I guess," Gohan said blandly. These people were really rubbing him the wrong way. Maybe city people were naturally rude. He thought about Bulma and guessed it might be true. "I've never gone to school before, and this is my first time in this city." His tone rather implied strongly that they should leave him alone, but Erasa was incredibly dense in this area.  
  
"Home schooled? Really?" Erasa sounded immensely disappointed, but Gohan couldn't fathom why. She perked up visibly, then. "Are you going to be around long? Me and the guys could show you around, give you a tour of the city." Sharpener looked at her like she was crazy, volunteering his precious time like that. //I could be lifting weights!// he thought, scandalized.  
  
Gohan waved his hand, getting irritated, even letting his lips twitch for a moment before settling back into impassivity. "No. I'm only going to be here for today." He let the bluntness of his words support his case.  
  
"Just for today, then?" Erasa pressed, while Sharpner subtly tried to get her to shut up. Angela didn't care either way, even if it might be fun to show the new guy around. "You must want to take in the sights of the famous place while you can?"  
  
"Actually, I have an *appointment*," Gohan said, narrowing his eyes. Unbeknownst to the three friends, he had been munching on his food at superspeed while they were talking, so the food had essentially vanished. They noticed suddenly, as he crumpled up the last wrapper with a loud crinkling noise. "I've used up pretty much all my time, now. I have to go, but it was really nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you if I come back sometime." //Highly unlikely.//  
  
"Okay," Erasa said reluctantly. Angela and Sharpner had given up and fallen back on eating their food, which had been getting cold, ignored during the conversation. "Let me give you my phone number, at least." Before Gohan could react, Erasa had gotten hold of his hand, and was scribbling a number on it with a pen from her purse. She smiled brightly when she released his hand.  
  
"Uhm, yeah." Gohan stared at his hand. What a weird lunch. "Nice to meet you all. See you." //Let me *out* of this looney town.//  
  
"Ciao," Angela waved.  
  
"Whatever," Sharpner scoffed.  
  
"I hope you'll consider going to high school!" Erasa said, waving madly. Gohan left speedily, not paying attention to her remark.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
"I really hope we see him again," Erasa said, sitting back down reluctantly. "He's just too hot to let go."  
  
Angela agreed. "Yeah, you definitely don't see a guy like that every day. He seemed kinda rude though. And there was something different about him."  
  
"Yeah, like his clothes, his hair, his attitude," Sharpner ranted. "Can you believe the nerve of him? I'll bet he thinks he's hot stuff! Next thing I know, he could be showing up at Orange Star and trying to steal Videl away from me!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Angela retorted, raising her eyebrows and resting her chin on her hands. "1) Videl is not your girlfriend. 2) The guy hasn't even met Videl before. And 3) You are so paranoid." She laughed an shook a finger at him to emphasize her point. "Videl would kick your ass for saying stuff like that."  
  
Sharpner grumbled and Erasa giggled, but the topic was eventually dropped.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
//*Very* weird lunch,// Gohan amended. He *was* running out of time, though. //Great, I must have let them sidetrack me,// Gohan thought, annoyed. //I won't be able to walk, I'll have to run.// He searched for a moment in the general direction that he thought Capsule Corp. to be, and almost immediately felt Vejiita's chi, which was obvious since he was much stronger than any of the surrounding humans.  
  
Locking onto that power, Gohan glanced about, then backed into an alley. He wrinkled his nose at the smell and sight of the spilled garbage cans, but he didn't want anyone to see him. In the blink of an eye, he was flying high enough above the city that no one should be able to make out his shape, so he headed for Capsule Corp.  
  
Gohan flew silently and contemplated; flying was one of his favorite and most relaxing things to do. He found that he could forget the past and dream lazily when the wind was whipping his clothes and hair. This internal and external peace lasted wholly ten seconds. Then the fluffy yellow cloud came into view.  
  
"Gohan! Hi Gohan!" A smiling seven year old with oh-so-familiar black, spiky hair, and warm black eyes sat perched atop the Kinto'un. Gohan tried to muster irritation at his brother for coming to the city, but failed.  
  
Gohan slowed up automatically to match pace with the Goten, since he had surpassed Kinto'un in speed long ago. Giggling a bit, the small demi- saiyajin abandoned the cloud for Gohan's back, though Kinto'un stayed right beside them.  
  
"What are you doing here, Goten?" Gohan said, turning on his 'big, responsible brother' voice. Goten wasn't affected in the least.  
  
"I wanted ta see where they live!" he said matter-of-factly. 'They' being Bulma, Vejiita, and Trunks, Gohan assumed. Though Goten had never met them, he had heard all of the tales of the Z senshi's adventures time and time again. He never got tired of them, requesting them as his bedtime stories almost every night. Gohan wasn't much surprised that he had to take the opportunity to meet them.  
  
"You aren't angry, are you Gohan?" Goten asked, Son Puppy Dog Eyes in full power.  
  
"No, I'm not angry," Gohan assured him. What on earth was he going to do with a small saiyajin child at Capsule Corp.? He'd get lost! Or end up in Vejiita's gravity room somehow and get the snot beaten out of him. Gohan had trained Goten regularly from the moment he was old enough, but he wasn't anywhere near strong enough to contend with Vejiita. That is, if the ornery Saiyajin no Ouji still kept up with his training.  
  
"What am I going to do with you, gaki-chan?" Gohan wondered out loud, affectionately using the not-so-affectionate-sounding nickname, which was softened only by the fond suffix.  
  
"*Not* send me home say, 'No dinner for a week, Goten!'? Please?" the boy pleaded anxiously, trying to be subtle but utterly failing in the attempt. Gohan looked at him in surprise and saw that he was serious, watching him worriedly. Fighting the urge to grin, Gohan realized that his brother had actually thought he would be punished by being cut off from his precious food supply. On the rare occasion that Goten behaved particularly badly, Gohan sent him to bed without any food; he knew now that Goten lived trepidation at the thought.  
  
"I don't know," Gohan said slyly, looking over his shoulder at the boy perched on his back. "I specifically told you not to follow me here. Maybe a couple of nights of straight sparring, no breaks." he trailed off suggestively, and was rewarded by Goten's wails.  
  
"No, no, Ani! Anything but that! I'll be good! I'll train!! I'll study! Please can I have dinner?!" Goten begged. "Food is healthy for growin' boys, and I'm a small boy, with a lot t'grow, so I need lotsa food!! Right?"  
  
Gohan tried not to chuckle. "That's right, gaki-chan. All right, you can come, you can have dinner. I expect you to work extra hard on your training and studying, okay?"  
  
"Okay, Gohan!" Goten beamed at his brother happily, content once more.  
  
//He reminds me of Father more and more every day. Dad would have been proud of him,// Gohan thought suddenly, his heart twisting with a strange mix of anguish and pride. He didn't stop to consider whether Goku would have been proud of his firstborn son, as well.  
  
//Goten's pretty much as strong as I was at that age, and I was on Namek then. Even without all the constant fighting that I was put through, he's amazing. And he just maintains his innocence completely. Maybe he's not as smart as I was, but I guess I don't push him as hard as Mom pushed me,// Gohan reflected, before pushing thoughts of Chichi and Goku away. //Still painful, after all these years.//  
  
"Hey, Gohan?" Goten queried.  
  
"Yeah, Goten?" Gohan said absently.  
  
"Don't the Briefses live in a big house, with lots 'n lots of grass an' stuff around?"  
  
"Mm-hmm." //He got that from the stories.// "Why?  
  
"Well.We just flew over it, Ani."  
  
"Whaa-?!" Gohan screeched to a halt in midair, and would've lost Goten if the boy hadn't had such a grip on the back of his jacket. Luckily, there would be no Goten-pancakes today. "Oops, sorry about that, Goten. Thanks for snapping me out of it."  
  
Goten nodded faithfully, silently wondering what 'it' was.  
  
Gohan dropped through the clouds and touched down easily. Goten clambered off his back and would have run immediately to the housing part of the huge complex if Gohan hadn't stopped him.  
  
"All right, I want you to listen to me carefully, Goten," Gohan said seriously. Goten nodded up at him, smiling widely.  
  
"Okay, Gohan!" he chirped cheerfully.  
  
"The Briefs' have a son, a year older than you."  
  
"Really?" Goten hopped up and down excitedly. "I get a playmate?! A real playmate?"  
  
Distracted from what he was about to say, Gohan said, mock-wounded, "*I* play with you, gaki-chan! I'm not a real playmate?"  
  
"Oh, you're the best, Ani," Goten said gravely, still fidgeting with eagerness. "But it's fun to have someone else little, too,"  
  
"I wouldn't know," Gohan said ruefully. "I never had someone around my age, so feel lucky. Anyway, his name is Trunks, and I want you to find him and play, or cause random destruction, like usual." The little saiyajin didn't mean to, but he got into the worst scrapes sometimes. //At least this time it'll be Bulma and Vejiita's problem. Hell, they can *afford* to have anything fixed, anyway.// "Got that, Goten?"  
  
"Name's Trunks, find him and play, or else tear the whole building down," Goten repeated dutifully, grinning wildly. //I hope he wasn't taking me seriously,// Gohan thought worriedly.  
  
"Right," he said anyway, watching Goten sidelong. "And don't bother Vejiita, whatever you do, if you run into him." //I can see it now, little bits of Goten flung to the four corners of the globe.// Gohan felt slightly sick. "C'mon, let's go see Bulma."  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
Bulma sneezed violently and, sniffling, rubbed her nose. Then she remembered that her glove was covered with oil. Swearing colorfully, she pushed with her feet to roll out from under the machine she was working on. She took off the gloves, put her wrench down, and went stomping out of her lab to look in a bathroom mirror.  
  
//Please, please say I didn't get any on my fa-// "Aw, shit!" Bulma groaned. There was a black smear under her nose so wide that it looked like she was sporting a mustache. //Awwww...// She soaked a washcloth hastily and scrubbed above her lip. Other than the top part, it wasn't coming off. "Come on, you." she growled, then the doorbell rang.  
  
"Huh?" Bulma looked up, not sure that she had heard right. A second later, it rang again, impatiently. //Hell! Who could that be?// She punched a button in the wall. "Vejiita!" she bellowed into the com, hoping that he hadn't purposely broken the communicator again. "Answer the door, and don't kill anyone!"  
  
The system she had rigged up over the house was one of her more genius inventions, really. It connected every room to the kitchen and gravity room, so that a hologram of Bulma could pop up at any time in one of the few places that the Saiyajin no Ouji usually hung out.  
  
A crackling voice answered as the bell started to ring multiple times. "Get yourself, onna!" Vejiita rasped.  
  
"I *can't*!" Bulma hissed, looking straight at the little image of Vejiita projected on the sink. She had chosen not to project a hologram this time though, so he couldn't see the state her face was in and mock her for it later. "My face-."  
  
//Wait, that must be Gohan!// Bulma realized suddenly. //What time is it?// "Never mind Vejiita, I'll get it." The blue haired inventor dashed for the door with all speed, determined not to give Gohan a reason to slip away this one time she had managed to get him to come.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
Gohan stood uncomfortably at the front door, Goten still clinging to one arm and chirruping on about a playmate. //Where is she?// he wondered. //She wouldn't have forgotten that I was coming, would she? I mean, Bulma's not the type of person- Wait.// He thought back and carefully went over his knowledge of the feisty woman who had been his father's first friend. //Actually, that's just the sort of thing she would do. Get lost in working on something, let it totally slip her mind.//  
  
He sighed and reached forward to ring the bell again- and jerked back involuntarily as the door opened abruptly.  
  
"Whee," Goten giggled, swinging on Gohan's arm.  
  
"Hello, Gohan," Bulma began calmly, managing to look dignified despite the fact that she was wearing filthy overalls, her hair was a mess, and there was some sort of black goo streaked below her nose. "I'm glad you- ." she trailed off as she suddenly caught sight of Goten, who was smiling his father's smile and looking at her curiously.  
  
Blue eyes widened, stared at Goten, widened, and stared some more, moments of silence ticking by. It a full minute before Gohan remembered that Bulma was meeting his sibling for the first time, and had never seen him, not even directly after he was born.  
  
"This is Son Goten, Bulma," Gohan said quietly, lifting his arm up and consequently pulling Goten to sit in his arms. "Say hi to Bulma, Goten."  
  
"Hi Mrs. Bulma lady," Goten said somewhat shyly, still smiling, but half burying his face in his brother's shirt, peering at Bulma sideways. He cautiously raised both of his hands, closing all but two on his left. "I'm seven."  
  
Bulma raised her eyes to Gohan's, unshed tears glistening as she covered her mouth, halting a cry. The regal, somewhat haughty woman was gone, replaced by a girl who has lost her best friend all over again.  
  
"Oh, my Kami, Gohan," she gasped. "H-He looks just like -- *just like* -- Gokuu!"  
  
"Yeah," Gohan said quietly, looking down at Goten, who obviously had no idea whatsoever what they were speaking of. "Can I come in, Bulma?"  
  
Bulma nodded soundlessly, her limited supply of words in this shocked state used up already. She widened the door and moved aside to let them through.  
  
Gohan lead Goten to where he thought the living room should be and- yes, there it was. Bulma had followed them closely, and Gohan met her gaze for a moment, a silent question in his eyes. She nodded imperceptibly.  
  
"You can go ahead and find Trunks now, Goten," Gohan said, swatting the boy on the shoulder in encouragement. Goten gave a swift 'whoopee' and jumped to leave the room. "Say goodbye to Bulma-san, first," he added.  
  
"Bye Mrs. Bulma laaaadyyyyy!" Goten's voice faded as he was already long gone down the hallway and off to explore Capsule Corp., and find Trunks if he could.  
  
"Okay, Bulma," Gohan said, smiling tightly. "What did you want to talk about?"  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
"It must have been so hard for you," Bulma said softly, not really looking at him. They had sat down, and she had gotten them both drinks after cleaning herself up a bit. Meaning, the oil above her lip was gone, her hair was brushed, and she was out of the overalls. "I mean, he looks exactly like Gokuu."  
  
"It's actually a great comfort," Gohan said mildly, frowning slightly. Was she trying to insinuate that he might possibly resent Goten? "The perfect reminder.for everything." It was a rhetorical thought, and, had Bulma been paying very close attention, she would have wondered at it. But as it was, she had other things to think about.  
  
"I doubt Vejiita's going to be very happy," Bulma said. "Though he thought they might end up identical. Second sons looking like their fathers..He said it runs in your family."  
  
"It's hardly any of our concern that *Vejiita* wouldn't be pleased with how Goten looks," Gohan said tensely. "Why would that affect us?"  
  
"I'm not saying that it should," Bulma sighed. "I'm just kind of mumbling to myself." She still looked kind of shell-shocked. "It's not important."  
  
"No, it's not," Gohan agreed.  
  
"So," she began, shifting on the couch a bit. "How come you haven't been to see us? Why haven't you ever gone to see *any* of the old guys lately?"  
  
"I have," Gohan said, somewhat defensively. "I saw Kuririn and his family over on the island only a while ago."  
  
"Kuririn says it was two years ago. Goten probably doesn't even remember. He was what? Four?"  
  
"Of course he remembers. I got kidnapped by Raddittsu when I was four, and I certainly remember *that*," Gohan said testily. "And so we're kind of reclusive. What's the problem? We didn't get out much even when Dad and Mom were alive, so don't blame it on that."  
  
Bulma raised her eyebrows a little. "Gohan," she said gently, "I didn't suggest that Gokuu and Chichi had anything to do with it." The teen looked trapped. "Are you isolating yourself because of what happened? You don't blame yourself for any of it, do you?"  
  
"It doesn't matter," Gohan said, looking down. "We just all have our own lives now, and I know you guys here are raising Trunks, and Kuririn and Juuhachi's kid should be three years old now. Yamucha went back into baseball, didn't he? We've all been busy."  
  
While gesticulating, Gohan accidentally knocked over his glass of orange soda, spilling it on the white carpet, but fortunately, it didn't break. Bulma winced and muttered, "That is *so* gonna stain." Gohan looked at her, grimacing.  
  
"I'm sorry about that Bulma," Gohan apologized automatically, then bent over to pick it up. Bulma waved her hand at him, though, to tell him to forget about it.  
  
"The cleanup robots will get it," she explained briefly. She didn't care about the carpet at this point. Bulma wanted to focus back in on their conversation.  
  
"You guys were always busy with saving the world before, and that didn't stop us from getting together regularly," she pointed out. "I think that because Chichi isn't here to make you, you've decided to break off contact with us. Isn't that it?"  
  
Choosing to ignore her last two statements, Gohan countered her first. "The whole *reason* we always got together before was *because* we were saving the world. You and Dad knew each other, everyone else were fighters, so it was most beneficial to train together, or gather at Capsule Corp." He wouldn't meet her eyes.  
  
"There was always somebody out to destroy the world one way or the other," //Is that bitterness in his words?// Bulma wondered. "So we never had the chance to drift apart and go our separate ways."  
  
"Drifting apart from your friends isn't a good thing," Bulma argued. "That's why friends go out of their way to keep in touch, even when they don't live close. It's not like you can't make it anywhere around the world in a few minutes, y'know."  
  
Gohan looked like he was about to interrupt, so she plowed ahead.  
  
"What you're saying, is that if a bunch of kids were in school and had continuous projects together, that would force them to spend time together. Then, when these kids didn't have to work together anymore, they cut off all communication, and built up a wall around themselves. We're not like that. We're friends, and friends stay friends even outside of school, Gohan. Or wherever they are."  
  
Gohan didn't say anything, but the words she was saying hit uncomfortably close to home.  
  
"The whole world is out there, Gohan, all those people, opportunities. Don't you think it would be good for you to get out and face the real world, anyway? Good for Goten?" Bulma coaxed. It was the absolute worst thing she could have possibly said at that time.  
  
Gohan's head came up and his eyes flashed. "The real world?" he echoed, his voice dangerously soft. "That's what Mom always said. She always told my dad that fighting skills wouldn't help me in the 'real world'. She said what would make me go the distance in the 'real world' was education, so I could get a good job. She wouldn't let my dad train me at the most important times.  
  
"Tell me, Bulma, how does education, or the importance of the 'real world' measure up when I'm watching my friends and father lying in the dirt, bloody, broken, dying? How can you justify giving the 'real world' any kind of status when, if you had ignored the 'real world', you might have saved your friends so much pain, and saved your father's life?  
  
"The 'real world' isn't half of what I've seen in my life. I've never been part of it, and those who have can't acknowledge what truly *is* real. Don't you remember at the Cell Games? They mocked my father and all of us, when we were fighting for them. What we *did* was real, and the 'real world' is still in the dark. Don't preach to me about the real world, Bulma. That's not real."  
  
Bulma was quiet for a few minutes, then started again. "People may not understand, Gohan, but that's because they haven't had a chance to. I've been part of the real world, and I've *married* and alien; something that most people don't believe exists. You have to give it a chance. Just because you've been misjudged once doesn't mean that you have to isolate yourself for the rest of your life."  
  
"What did you call me over here for, Bulma?" Gohan said wearily. He rubbed his temples impatiently.  
  
But Bulma wasn't ready to talk about that yet. "You've changed so much already," Bulma insisted. "You have to interact with other people, otherwise you'll never be able to forgive yourself, and move on."  
  
Gohan didn't say anything. Then all of a sudden he smiled, forcing it slightly. "This isn't like what I know of you, either," he said, masking his sarcasm with ruefulness. "You're being much too serious, you haven't ranted or cursed once, and you're being mildly patient. What's up?"  
  
Bulma smiled impishly. "Don't be rude," she chided. "I *never* curse." Seeing the look on Gohan's face, she relented.  
  
"I had to buckle down at least once, so I could get some of this through your thick head. This is serious stuff, though. I wrote down everything I wanted to say, then I lost that, so I had to do it again. Would you believe I *rehearsed* this?"  
  
"I would," Gohan said grimly. "I thought it sounded *awfully* well laid out for *you*. Had to do it all in advance, did you?"  
  
"Son Gohan!" Bulma yelped indignantly. "You take that back! *I* am a genius! *You* are a bloodthirsty saiyajin barbarian, with nothing other than fighting on his mind! You couldn't make a well planned argument to save your life!"  
  
"I thought I just did," he retorted, settling back into his seat. //Maybe if I keep her off topic, she won't mention.that.again. Add some humor, I suppose.// "I happen to be a bit of a genius, myself!"  
  
"Saiyajin!" Bulma said, throwing up her hands in mock-disgust. "They're all the same! Arrogant as hell, except for Gokuu, of course. And Goten, by the looks of it."  
  
There was a faint yelling sound coming from somewhere in the complex, and they both turned to stare strangely out into the hallway. It subsided, though, and neither of them thought any more about it.  
  
Gohan asked curiously, "How has been like living with Vejiita? And how has Trunks been growing up? I admit I've felt kind of bad not having seen him in so long."  
  
"Sure, you miss someone you last saw as an infant more than you missed me," Bulma grumbled, then got back on track. "Well, Vejiita spends most of his time training, as usual. He trains Trunks, too. He's always going on about how his son should be the strongest, and how Trunks is going to beat you."  
  
"That's nice," Gohan said dryly.  
  
"And to make it worse, Trunks absolutely *idolizes* him!" Bulma rolled her eyes. "I can't get him near the lab to save my life, but he'll just shut himself up with Vejiita all day voluntarily!"  
  
"Hnn. Goten trains and studies, as do I," Gohan said.  
  
//Perfect opening!// Bulma thought sneakily. //Now, put it gently, put it gently, Bulma.//  
  
"That reminds me," she said casually. "Have you ever thought about going to high school, Gohan?" //Bwahahaha, that was genius, Bulma, sheer genius! Perfect, precise timing, phrasing.Gad, I am so brilliant.//  
  
Gohan's eyes bugged out at the abrupt change of subject. He didn't like where this was heading. "High school?" he spluttered involuntarily.  
  
"Well, yes," Bulma said defensively. "I didn't think it was such a repulsive idea."  
  
"But, Bulma." Gohan said weakly, trying to regain his composure. "High school? After going to the far end of the galaxy and saving the universe -and Earth- who knows how many times? Wouldn't that be kind of.awkward?"  
  
"You're breaking the law by not going to school, you know," Bulma pointed out. "You're seventeen legally, even if you really are eighteen." Gohan just looked amused at this thought, so she tried harder. "You're not even doing home schooling anymore! Just because you've saved the world a few times doesn't give you the right to do whatever you please!"  
  
Now, this irked Gohan some. "Hey, that Satan idiot does whatever he wants, and he didn't even *really* save the world! That was *me*!"  
  
"That's different," Bulma said delicately, tacitly avoiding just saying *how* it was different. Gohan raised an eyebrow at that.  
  
"It'd cut into my training," he said darkly, as though this were something inexcusable. He didn't want to make Bulma mad by dismissing her suggestion, but he just *couldn't* let anything interfere with his training, even if it was extra schooling.  
  
"Training for what?" Bulma asked, exasperated. "There hasn't been a threat to Earth in seven years! You think you could cut back just a *little*."  
  
"If I'm not ready for any kind of menace, who else is going to be?" Gohan pointed out. "Mr. Satan?"  
  
Bulma shuddered slightly at the thought, then retaliated, her voice raising slightly. "You *aren't* the only fighter, you know. I wouldn't be surprised if Vejiita could give you a run for your money." Gohan snorted.  
  
//How do you know if he would be willing to risk his life to save the Earth?// Gohan felt like asking, but thought that it would be going to far.  
  
"Even so, I have to be prepared if there's ever another threat like Cell! I have to be strong enough to protect everyone on this planet, and my friends! I can't let anyone of them get killed! *All* of them have been wished back once already, don't you see? That would be the end!"  
  
"Your father's gone, Gohan!!" Bulma yelled suddenly.  
  
He reeled back as if she'd slapped him.  
  
A pleading look entered her eyes. "You can't keep blaming yourself for his death! You don't have to protect your friends, they can take care of themselves. Cell is gone, too. Don't let him haunt your life!"  
  
Gohan's eyes became hooded as a darkness passed over them. He seemed to be seeing beyond Bulma at the moment, then he snapped back to Earth. "What do you know?! You didn't cause your father to sacrifice his life due to your arrogance! You didn't kill your mother with grief by letting her husband die!" Looking stricken at finally having spoken the words, Gohan buried his head in his hands.  
  
Bulma wrung her hands, wanting to comfort him, but knowing that he wouldn't want her to. After a moment, Gohan lifted his head again, and the shadow had left his face. He was nodding, slowly. Nodding at the fact that he had to forgive himself, somehow, and move on, but also nodding in acquiescence to the high school suggestion. If interacting with other people was what it took to stop blaming himself, he was willing to do so.  
  
"But who would watch Goten?" he wanted to know as a final concern.  
  
"Oh, we wouldn't mind having him here!" Bulma said cautiously.  
  
"Yeah, and Vejiita would be happy to have another *punching* bag," Gohan said doubtfully.  
  
"Oh, come on, I doubt Vejiita trains Trunks any harder than you do Goten," Bulma said cajolingly. "I'd love to get to know the little guy, and I *know* that it would be great for Trunks to have another super powered kid his age around." She shook her head sadly. "You couldn't imagine how many playmates he's sent home with some kind of injury- He plays too rough. He hasn't had anyone over in ages. Goten would be perfect though, they couldn't possibly hurt each other."  
  
"That could work," Gohan said reluctantly. "I don't know, though."  
  
//Just one more push, and Gohan will officially have to face the life of a teenager. He'll have to go out into the world now, he has to sometime. He'll be living the rest of his life there, naturally. Go easy though, he's fragile. Just give it a little nudge-// "What, afraid that you're not smart enough?" Bulma taunted carefully.  
  
Gohan's head snapped up and he stared at her, narrowing his eyes. "Of course not!" he said loudly, his eyes mere slits. "I could do college calculus when I was ten years old! I could wipe the floor with any of the morons that go to high school!"  
  
//Hehehe. I know you could, Gohan.// Bulma thought, well pleased with her own cleverness. //One thing you learn from living with saiyajin your whole life.You want them to do something, you tweak their pride.//  
  
"Prove it," she said smugly, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist the challenge.  
  
Gohan's eye twitched, a sure sign he was tempted, but his mouth stubbornly remained closed. Then, seemingly not of his own volition, he blurted, "You're on!"  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
"So you'll go! So you'll go!" Bulma was still chanting five minutes later, more of a statement than a question. She sounded entirely too eager about the whole thing.  
  
"All right," Gohan said, resigned. "Where do I get the registra-."  
  
"YESSSS!" Bulma cheered, totally drowning him out. She whipped a few sheets of paper out of her back pocket, took a pen from behind her ear, and laid both in front of Gohan. "Sign here, and here," she said, matter-of- factly.  
  
//She must have been planning this for a while.// Gohan thought, looking at the papers warily. It was a form for Orange Star High, and Gohan was not-so-pleasantly surprised. //I'm going to be at school with those psychos from .what was it.McDonald's? Great, just great.All I can do is hope that they're not in my grade.//  
  
"I've already got the rest of it filled out!" Bulma said happily. Gohan signed his name slowly in the aforesaid places.  
  
"So will it be a few weeks before you can turn this in, and a few weeks before they confirm everything?" Gohan asked hopefully. //I really need time to adjust to this idea.HIGH SCHOOL!.//  
  
"I can turn it in tonight, I warned them to be expecting it, and you can be in school on Monday!" Bulma giggled excitedly.  
  
//Dear Kami, what have I gotten myself into?// Gohan panicked.  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RaliNeoBlade: I'm sorry that I skipped over so many years, but I didn't go *straight* to the high school years, right? I do, however, hope that this provided some of the character development you were looking for. Thanks for reading! Review! 


	3. Ch 2 A Friend

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, or any of its characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama. I own this plotline, however.  
  
AU plotline: What if Chichi had died having Goten, and Gohan blamed himself for everything?  
  
Translations: baka = idiot/stupid. onna = woman. sensei = teacher  
  
Note: The school system will *not* be Japanese, meaning they will move to different classrooms, not have the teachers come to them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
THE SHADOWS OF MY HEART  
  
Chapter Two- A Friend  
Lab. Spare bedroom. Spare bedroom. Closet. Bathroom. Spare bedroom. Storage room. Lab.  
  
Goten had been happily exploring the large building known as Capsule Corporation for ten minutes, but now it was just getting boring. He knew that it would be much more fun to actively seek the playmate he had been promised, but every time he said to himself that he was going to, the next door down would say, "Goten! Goten! I have some exciting secret held inside! Open the door, Goten!" and he wouldn't be able to resist. Not that there had been any exciting secrets so far.  
  
He was just beginning to become really dispirited when he approached a corridor that seemed very deserted. Like it hadn't been used in years. There were no lights on further down, so the hallway appeared to descend into darkness from the point where Goten was standing. He automatically inserted a finger in his mouth and nibbled on the nail for the few moments, before remembering Gohan's stern warning to break the nervous habit.  
  
"Gosh.it sure looks scary," he whispered to himself, wincing as he heard imaginary echoes that made the hall seem all the more threatening. Biting his lip, and reminding himself that he'd get sick if he chewed on his nails, Goten tried to bolster his confidence. "Come on, Goten.Don't be a dumb-butt, it'll be fun exploring that hall! That dark.quiet.scary..Er! Think of the hidden treasures that could be forgotten about down there!"  
  
Continuing to psyche himself up this way, Goten began walking, trying to ignore the way it was getting hard to see without light.  
  
There was a prickle of a breeze at the back of his neck, and Goten shivered unconsciously. He felt eyes staring at him from the dark and cringed. //No such things as boogeymen, no such things as boogeymen, no such things as boogeymen.// He repeated the mantra over and over.  
  
There was a creak of loose floorboards being stepped on ahead of him, and Goten stopped instantly, eyes huge, shaking. "N-no such th-things as b- b-boogeymen!" he squeaked, trying to get his feet to move forward.  
  
All of a sudden a huge, white, billowing shape leapt out of the darkness, straight at him! Goten screamed, "BOOGEYMAN!" and threw up his hands to defend himself as it launched at him. Whimpering, Goten fell to the ground and curled into a fetal position, waiting for the blow. Instead, he heard.laughter?  
  
He peeked up over his shoulder and saw the 'boogeyman' writhing on the ground, hardly able to breathe for hysterical laughter. As Goten's eyes narrowed in anger and childish embarrassment, the white sheet slipped off the figure to reveal a green gi, bobbed lavender hair, and blue eyes.  
  
"HEY!!!" Goten scrambled to his feet, fists clenching and face going red as he faced the bully. "You're not a boogeyman!!!" At first he thought that the other boy hadn't heard him, because he went on pounding the floor and laughing his head off. "Hey-."  
  
"'Course I'm not a boogeyman, *stupid*!" the boy chortled. "Man, you shoulda seen your *face*! I bet you peed on yourself you were so scared, didn'cha?! Didn'cha, scaredy cat!!"  
  
"I did NOT!" Goten yelled. "That wasn't very *nice*!"  
  
"It wasn't *supposed* to be nice, baka!" the taller boy snickered. "It's fun to scare the pants off the weaklings who come around the house!"  
  
"I'm not a weakling!" Goten sulked, "*You're* a weakling! I'm saiyajin, and really really strong! So there!"  
  
The other boy stopped laughing abruptly and scowled. "No you're not! *I'm* saiyajin! I'm Trunks, and my dad is the Prince of all Saiyajin! So that makes me a prince, too! Ha!"  
  
"You're Trunks?" Goten sputtered, indignant. His playmate was supposed to be someone he could play with, not someone who would leap out and scare him and who he disliked already. "But Ani said you'd be my playmate!"  
  
"The son of the Prince of Saiyajin is no one's 'playmate'," Trunks sniffed, turning up his little nose.  
  
"Yea-huh!" Goten argued, for the sake of arguing. "My brother said, and he's always right!"  
  
"Nuh-uh! My dad's always right, and he said the son of the Prince of Saiyajin is no one's playmate!"  
  
"Yea-huh!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yea-huh!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yea-huh!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yea-huh!"  
  
"I'll fight'cha for it," Trunks said, smirking.  
  
"Yea-hu.Huh?" Goten stopped, then cocked his head, blinking. "Fight me for what?"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "If I win, my dad's better. If you win, your brother person is better."  
  
"Oh, is that what we were arguing about?" Goten scratched the back of his head, confused.  
  
"Basically," Trunks said, shrugging.  
  
"Okay!" Goten grinned.  
  
"All right!" Trunks cheered, a crafty gleam in his eyes. //No way some human baka is going to beat *me*! This is gonna be a cinch!// Unfortunately for Trunks, he didn't know that Goten wasn't human. Giving Goten another advantage was the fact that Goten knew that *Trunks* wasn't human. So Goten knew to be prepared for a tough fight, while Trunks didn't even power up.  
  
"Kyaaaah!" Goten ran all out at Trunks, bordering blurring.  
  
"What the-!" was all Trunks managed before a small elbow smashed into his face, followed quickly by a knee into the gut. Goten jumped back quickly and crouched into a fighting stance, ready for Trunks' return attack. He waited for several moments. It didn't come.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!!" Trunks had fallen to his knees so he could press his stomach against his legs, and had both hands clamped over his nose. "Ow ow ow!!"  
  
"Hey, how come you didn't defend against that?" Goten asked, puzzled. "Weren't you ready to start?"  
  
"Noooo!!!" Trunks howled, still doubled over. He raised his face slightly to glare at Goten. //Dang, how come he's so strong? Stupid human! Waitaminute...His older brother?//  
  
Wiping his nose and sniffling a little, Trunks got up and looked sideways at Goten. He met the concerned gaze of the younger boy with a calculating glance of his own.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Goten muttered, completely repentant. "I wouldna started if I knew you weren't ready."  
  
"I forgive you," Trunks said graciously, raising his head regally. Not for a million bucks would he admit how much the blows had hurt when he wasn't prepared.  
  
"Say, your older brother wouldn't be named Gohan, would he?" Trunks queried as he put an arm around Goten's shoulders, both of them having completely forgotten their argument.  
  
"Yup, he is," Goten nodded.  
  
"Then you really are saiyajin!" Trunks exclaimed, pulling away and dancing with juvenile delight. "This is soooooo cool! We can spar all the time and get really strong and you can help me pull pranks on my dad because he wouldn't dare kill you!"  
  
Goten nodded uncertainly, but smiled anyway. "We can have sleepovers and Gohan could take us on camping and fishing trips," he offered.  
  
"Yeaaaah!" Trunks yelled, happily, and soon Goten was grinning too, and they both scurried off to Trunks' room, where a map of Capsule Corp. and the gravity room was hidden.  
  
"Okay, here's what we'll do. My dad is always in the GR right now, so.."  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
Scritch, scritch, scritch. Gohan paused, the pen stilling. He glanced up and saw Bulma eagerly following every movement of his pen, clearing waiting to pounce the moment he finished the application. //She's like cat,// he thought, unnerved. //She just sits there, waiting, until the right time to strike.// He sighed and shook his head lightly, writing another letter of his signature. He was going as slow as saiyajinly possible.  
  
The moments ticked by, the only sounds being the slow scratching of the pen and the impatient tapping of Bulma's foot. She was itching to grab Gohan's shirt and shake him, shout, "How long does it take to sign your friggin' name?!", but then he would probably rip the application to shreds and forget the whole idea.  
  
"Are you hungry, Gohan?" she said sweetly instead. Gohan didn't glance up, just kept writing, painfully slowly. He paused for a very long moment between letters. Bulma was convinced he was going as slowly as he could on purpose.  
  
"That's okay, Bulma, I got food on the way here."  
  
They lapsed into irritated silence again.  
  
After a few seconds, Gohan pulled his head up reluctantly, and capped the pen. Bulma glanced up quickly.  
  
"Well," Gohan said hesitantly. "I'm.done."  
  
"That's great!" Bulma cheered, snatching the application and skimming it in a few seconds. "That's great, just peachy. Nice signature, Gohan." Suddenly business-like, she straightened the papers and looked at him officiously.  
  
"School starts at eight o'clock. Don't be late for your first day, it creates a bad impression. There's no uniform, but dress decently, mind. You should get in about fifteen minutes early and head to the office to get your schedule. They'll probably assign someone to show you around until you get to know the place. The principal's name is Mr. Medon, and I'll be giving you some capsules so you can carry a decent saiyajin sized lunch. Any questions?" She raked him with a laser like look.  
  
Gohan felt the ridiculous urge to pretend he hadn't heard a word she said, just so she'd get irritated at having to say it again. He resisted, however, and instead saluted sharply, clicking his heels together.  
  
"Yes, sir, Mrs. Briefs, ma'am," he barked.  
  
Bulma gave an exasperated sigh, but smiled, belying her amusement. "Oh, wait a minute, I forgot something." She dug through her pockets for a while, muttering. "Ah, here it is!"  
  
She handed him a patch with the Orange Star symbol on it. "All the students have to wear these," she explained. "I.think that's everything."  
  
"Calm down, Bulma," Gohan said. "Everything's going to go fine."  
  
"I just don't want anything to go wrong, Gohan," she said, fingering her bracelet in a nervous habit. "I want you to have a chance for the normal life that you were cheated out of."  
  
Gohan softened at her words stepped forward to give his old friend a short hug. "Despite my regrets, Bulma," he said quietly, "I wouldn't ever trade the life I have for a 'normal' one. I don't know if I even *could* have had a normal life, being saiyajin and all." He looked down to smile crookedly at her. "No matter what my mother might have wanted, fighting *is* in my blood, and that surely would have done something to alienate me."  
  
A faraway look entered his eyes. "There have been too many good things in this life to even think about letting it go. I'm not saying that the good things outweigh the bad, but I'll never know if a normal life would have been even worse. Under the circumstances, I think what I had is pretty okay. Until, that is, my parents died, of course." He didn't even bother to hide the pain in his voice, and Bulma put a hand on his arm in sympathy.  
  
"I know how you feel, Gohan," she said, nodding. "I always wonder what my life would have been like if I'd never met Goku, never gotten involved with the Dragonball hunts. There would have been so many fewer risks, but yet.I think that if I could do it over, I'd do everything the exact same way."  
  
"Even getting together with Vejiita?" Gohan grinned, banishing the serious mood.  
  
"Yes, even that," Bulma laughed. ".I think."  
  
They laughed again, and Gohan was surprised to feel a warmth stealing into him that he hadn't felt this strongly in a long time. It felt familiar, and he knew he felt it when around Goten, but this sense of close camaraderie, of old friendship; he couldn't name it after being separated from it for so long.  
  
He didn't know if he was ready to be completely submerged in his old life yet, but he knew that this time with Bulma was helping him deal the it, one step at a time. He *knew* that everything would never be exactly the same ever again, but he was really to try and patch things up as best he could.  
  
Gohan and Bulma stood there for a moment, just smiling at each other. And then.  
  
A huge explosion sounded from somewhere outside of the building, and Gohan whirled immediately, his eyes narrowing as he tried to detect the energy of an enemy force.  
  
"There's nothing hostile out there," he reported to a wide-eyed Bulma. "I'm guessing Vejiita blew up the gravity room or something, 'cause."  
  
He stopped as he was interrupted by a bellow of anger. Bulma heard the shout, but she didn't feel the angry spike of chi that accompanied it. //Why would Vejiita be angry if he himself blew up the gravity room?// Gohan asked himself, and was answered in the next second.  
  
Trunks and Goten came hurtling into the room, panicked looks on their faces.  
  
"Move it, move it!!"  
  
"Oh, gosh, he's gaining!"  
  
"You're gonna trip me!!"  
  
"Gohaaaan!" Goten dashed behind his older brother, and Trunks followed just before the bombshell dropped.  
  
"Wha-" Gohan didn't finish as Vejiita burst into the room.  
  
The ebony-eyed prince was covered in ash and scorch marks, but was relatively unharmed, as was to be expected. His black hair, however, was hidden under a layer of dust so thick that his hair had been turned grey.  
  
He stood with his fists clenched, glowering at Goten and Trunks, who were cowering and whimpering behind Gohan.  
  
"Boy!" he growled. "Hand them over!"  
  
"What, no //Gohan! It's been too long!//? No //Nice to see you, let's have a spar sometime!//?" Gohan smirked, a wheedling tone in his voice. "Veggie, I'm so disappointed. I've been looking forward to seeing you for *so long*."  
  
"Cut the crap, boy," Vejiita snarled. "And if you want to keep your head, don't *ever* call me 'Veggie'!"  
  
"Yeah!" Bulma put in abruptly. "Only *I'm* allowed to call him that! It's *my* petname for him!"  
  
"Onna!" Vejiita snapped, but there was the faintest, almost invisible trace of red in his cheeks. "Nevermind! My brat and the second spawn of Kakarotto did something to the gravity room, and it blew up while I was meditating!" he said, jabbing his finger in Gohan's face. "So their lives are mine by forfeit, to exact any punishment I wish!"  
  
"We didn't do it!" Trunks said at the same moment Goten piped up with, "It was only a joke, Ani!" Trunks socked Goten in the arm for blowing their cover, and Goten glared at him. "Hey! What was that for?"  
  
"For being stupid!"  
  
"I'm *not* stupid!"  
  
"You just told them that we *did* hot-wire the GR so that it'd blow up!"  
  
"It was a...a slip of the tongue! Yeah! That's all!"  
  
Gohan clamped a hand on Goten's shoulder and the boy jumped. "Well, you've both as much as admitted that you blew up the gravity room." He knelt down so that he was eye level with the two boys.  
  
"I don't believe we've been introduced," he said solicitously, nodding at Trunks. "My name is Son Gohan." He extended his hand solemnly. If he'd learned one thing in raising Goten, it was that youngsters didn't like being treated condescendingly. They delighted in feeling equal with grownups, so that was what Gohan made them feel, to get on their good side.  
  
"I'm Trunks Briefs-Vejiita and my dad is the strongest guy in the universe," Trunks said with a completely straight face. "He could kick your butt. My ancestry dates back to thousands of kings of Vejiita-sei, and my mom's a genius," he finished, ignoring Goten's gaping and Vejiita's chortling and Bulma's indignation at having being mentioned as a small sidenote.  
  
"That's very impressive, Trunks. Can I call you Trunks?" When he received an affirmative nod, he continued. "You must be pretty smart if you could figure out how to make the GR explode just by hot-wiring it."  
  
Trunks puffed up in pride, not noticing that a trap had been set. "Yep! I figured it out easy, 'cause I knew Goten wouldn't be able to when I came up with the plan. It's all a matter of colors, 'cause Mom does everything by color. Y'know, switch the red with the green, and stuff."  
  
Then he realized what he'd just said. His eyes went wide, and his hands clapped over his mouth. "Um, um!"  
  
"Trunks!" Bulma blew up. "I put a lot of time and effort into building and repairing that room when your father manages to destroy it, and now I find that *you* are conspiring against me as well?! I don't think so, mister! Get up to your room, NOW!"  
  
With a muttered, "yes'm," Trunks ran out of the room as fast as he could, glad that he was able to escape the punishment of his father for the time being.  
  
"You let him off too easy, onna," Vejiita said, disapproving. "You should've let me take him outside and knock some sense into him. That's the proper way."  
  
"Not here on Earth it isn't!" Bulma said, glaring at him. "Besides, there are other, more *effective* ways of disciplining a half-saiyajin. Like.No food all tomorrow! Bwahahahaha!" she cackled. "See, I'm a genius."  
  
"If you're a genius, then so'm I, Bulma," Gohan said dryly. "'Cause I've thought of that punishment before, too. It works very well."  
  
Goten's eyes widened as he contemplated his own fate at Gohan's hands. He looked at his brother slowly, little by little feeding the Son Puppy Dog Eyes into his gaze. //Please let me have dinner, please let me have dinner,// he repeated, letting the words leak into his eyes.  
  
Gohan felt his resolve fading quickly as he sought to tear his eyes away from the Puppy Dog Eyes, but it wasn't working. //You shouldn't let your kid brother manipulate you like this, Gohan!// he told himself sternly. //One look in those big eyes and you're toast! He looks just like Dad begging Mom for scraps of food before dinner.// Gohan shoved that thought away violently.  
  
"Oh, all right, squirt," Gohan sighed. "You can have dinner."  
  
Goten jumped up. "Yippee!"  
  
"What?!" Vejiita thundered. "How dare you let him get away without recompense for my trouble! Boy, you're going too far!"  
  
Gohan shot a sour look at the ill-tempered prince. "I didn't say that I wasn't going to punish him." Goten stopped cheering suddenly as Gohan turned to him, a strange smile on his face. "I hope you're looking forward to a few extra-looong and haaaaard training sessions! And in your spare time- guess what? Studying, and nothing else!" //Just like when I was a kid,// he thought, reminiscing.  
  
Goten fell to his knees and cried dramatically, "Noooooooo!"  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
They left Capsule Corp. not long after, Goten still sulking about his punishment. He lost his temper when he saw Trunks making a face at him from his bedroom window and hurled a chi blast at him, but Gohan managed to intercept it before the youngster did any damage to the building.  
  
There were a lot of things to do before Monday, and only a few days, since it was Friday and the day was almost over. The first thing that Gohan wanted to do was fly over to Master Roshi's island and visit with Kuririn. He hadn't seen him in too long. The next thing.  
  
Was Piccolo. He had been around every once in a while in the year after Chichi's death, but when Gohan hadn't opened up, when he continued to try and shut everything except Goten out, he stopped coming. Well, at least he stopped coming to see him directly.  
  
Piccolo would never really abandon Gohan, so he hadn't been surprised when he still felt the namekjin's presence around occasionally. He never came out and spoke to Gohan and Goten directly, but he knew that Gohan wouldn't be able to miss his chi close by. It had been a comfort, really, and Gohan suspected that Piccolo had meant it to be that way.  
  
His mentor deserved better, Gohan knew. That was why he was planning to head for Kami's lookout as soon as he could after Kuririn's place. Maybe he could bring Goten, too, and introduce him to everybody.  
  
"Where are we going, Ani?" Goten asked curiously, flying along next to Gohan on the Kinto'un. The teen had modified his pace for the yellow cloud, and they had been zooming over the water for about twenty minutes. Goten had only been to the island once, and that was when he was four, so he was bound to have some memories of the people, but couldn't be expected to know the way there.  
  
"We're going to Master Roshi and Uncle Kuririn's house, Goten," Gohan replied after a moment. "Do you remember who they are, gaki-chan?"  
  
Goten bit his lip and scrunched his face in concentration. "Old bald man with a white beard who cackles?" he said finally, looking to Gohan for confirmation, who nodded.  
  
"That's Master Roshi," he said. "Do you remember what Uncle Kuririn looks like?"  
  
"Short, bald, dots on head," Goten answered, looking confident. Gohan managed to stifle his chuckle.  
  
"Yeah, that's him all right. I wonder if he still fights?" Gohan mused.  
  
"Who was the pretty lady with yellow hair?" Goten questioned eagerly.  
  
"That's your Auntie Juuhachi," Gohan responded, frowning slightly. He knew that the beautiful android had repented completely, and even settled down with Kuririn and had a daughter- it wasn't that he was worried about that. It was just the memories she inspired were quite painful. "Last time we were there, though, she wanted you to call her Auntie Juu, so call her that."  
  
"Okay!" Goten chirped happily. "Auntie Juu! I like that."  
  
//Their daughter was one the last time we were there.so she must be three now. Okay.// "Their little girl is named Marron, Goten. She's three years old. Be nice to her, and no tricks!"  
  
"Yes, Ani," Goten said dutifully, then squealed as the island came into view. "There it is, Gohan! Lookie!!!"  
  
"I see it, Goten," Gohan sighed, then dove into an almost vertical drop which Goten instantly followed, laughing. When they landed, Goten hopped off the Kinto'un and waved it off, so it went spiraling into the distance.  
  
There was a little blonde, pig-tailed girl, hair tied with red ribbons, bouncing a ball near the water. She had on a red dress and no shoes. She looked up when she saw them, and smiled shyly. "Hi!" she said, running over to them, bringing the ball.  
  
"Hello, Marron!" Gohan smiled. "Do you remember me?"  
  
"Um." Marron scuffed the sand with her foot. "No."  
  
"That's okay," Gohan soothed her. "You were really little when we saw you last time. My name's Gohan."  
  
"I'm Marron," she said, even though Gohan already knew that. //Cute kid,// he thought. //She'd have to be, being Juuhachi's.//  
  
"I'm Goten, Marron!" the boy exclaimed running up. "Can we play with your ball?"  
  
"Sure!" Marron said, starting to grin.  
  
"All right, I'm going to go and say hi to your parents, Marron. Play nice." Gohan winced as he spoke the words. Kami, he sounded like Bulma's mother! He remembered every time he'd gone over, she'd said, "Play nice." He'd hated it, and now here he was, saying it to his little brother and Marron!  
  
//Here we go,// Gohan took a deep breath as he stood in front of the closed door of the Kame House. //Please let Kuririn answer the door, please let Kuririn answer the door.// He rubbed his hands together, mentally prepping himself to speak to them. Gohan waited for a few moments, then reached up and knocked loudly.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
"I can kick it really high!" Marron boasted proudly, opening up to the friendly demi-saiyajin. "Watch!" She gave the ball a hard kick straight up, and it went higher than the house roof. When it came down, she caught it again. "See! Can you beat that?"  
  
"Sure I can!" Goten grinned. He took the ball from Marron and kicked it as hard as he could, as high as he could. It was out of sight within seconds. Marron's mouth dropped open as she craned upward, trying to get a glimpse of the ball. "Man, I kicked it pretty high!" Goten marveled, shading his eyes with his hand.  
  
Marron turned to him, red in the face, and stomped on his foot.  
  
"OW!" Goten yelped, hopping around on one foot. "What'd you do that for?!"  
  
"You lost my ball!" Marron yelled, all semblance of being shy flying out the window.  
  
"I did not! It's gonna come back! Just look up there!" Marron followed his pointing finger, and, sure enough, the ball was coming straight back down. At the same time as Gohan knocked on the door, the rubber ball smashed through the roof.  
  
There was a scream from in the house, while Gohan stood, sweatdropping, his hand poised to make another knock. Slowly, he turned around and saw Goten and Marron standing paralyzed, staring at the house.  
  
"GOOOOOTEEEEEEN!!!!!" Gohan steamed. The chibi saw him coming, gave a frightened squeak, and tried to hide behind a palm tree.  
  
"I can see you there, gaki!" There was no affectionate suffix attached to the term. "Haven't you already gotten into enough trouble today?!"  
  
"I didn't mean to, Ani!" Goten wailed, trying to focus on making himself skinnier so he would fit behind the tree. "I just kicked it! That's all, I promise!"  
  
"Why I oughtta-!" Gohan shook his fist angrily, but was interrupted.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!" came and angry, completely unfamiliar voice.  
  
Gohan whipped around, and saw a girl standing on the porch, a deflated rubber ball in her hand. Her face was set in a frown, and her amber eyes darted from him to Goten rapidly.  
  
The girl looked to be around seventeen years old, and she had one hand on her hip, staring at Gohan accusingly. She had straight brown hair that was twisted into an extremely messy bun, resulting in a lot of strands hanging down from the knot to her shoulders. She was also extremely pretty, but Gohan wasn't thinking about that at the moment, as he was more concerned with what she was *wearing*.  
  
It was a feminine training gi, not unlike the ones that his father, Goten, and he himself usually wore. The difference between the styles was that the girls' outer shirt and pants were white, and the undershirt was black. What had caught Gohan's eye, however, was the symbol over her heart. It was unmistakably Master Roshi's symbol.  
  
//What the hell?// he thought, confused. //The only people allowed to wear that are people who've trained under Master Roshi!// He started to get angry. //Master Roshi doesn't train anyone anymore! I didn't come here to see some stranger!//  
  
"Marron, come here!" the girl snapped busily at the girl, who ran to her obediently. It was another shock for Gohan.  
  
//Marron apparently trusts her,// he thought, as though severely doubting the intelligence of that decision. //Who is she, then? The babysitter? Then why's she wearing a gi?//  
  
"Who am *I*?" he said finally. "Who the hell are *you*?" Gohan grabbed Goten and dragged him behind himself, putting the young one out of reach of potential danger.  
  
"Urk!" said Goten.  
  
"Where's Kuririn?" Gohan demanded. "What have you done with everyone?"  
  
"*Done* with them?" the girl said incredulously. "I haven't done *anything* with them! They're on a shopping trip at the mainland! Who are you, anyway?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she clutched Marron protectively.  
  
"I'm Son Gohan, and I have more of a right to be here than almost anyone else," he said cautiously, while feeling out her power level. //Hnn, let's see.Whoa! What the-! How did she get to be so strong?!// What he was sensing couldn't possibly be right. Her chi energy was at the level of Vejiita when he first came to Earth. Of course, that wasn't even close to the level that even Kuririn was at, but it was pretty damn impressive for a human he'd never heard of before.  
  
"Oh!" the amber eyed girl exclaimed, a blush sweeping over her face instantly. She simultaneously let go of Marron and widened her eyes to a point where they made up half of her face. "Son Gohan!" she sounded wretchedly embarrassed. "I'm soooooo sorry! I didn't know who you were!"  
  
"Huh?" Gohan wrinkled his nose in confusion. "How *do* you know who I am?"  
  
"You don't remember me?" the girl asked, stepping down from the porch and smiling at him widely. She didn't sound hurt about it. "That's okay. We've only met once, and that was a long time ago. I didn't forget about it, though."  
  
Gohan continued to have no clue, and he supposed it must have showed up on his face, for the girl winked slyly.  
  
"I'll give you a clue." she offered, smirking. The next moment Gohan and Goten were clutching their ears from the loud scream emitting from her. When the shriek ended, the girl yelled, "Ewwww! You *pervert*!!! PUT ME DOWN!"  
  
She stopped and cocked her head, grinning at Gohan, who had let go of his ears and was looking at her with dawning recognition. "Remember me now?" the girl asked smugly, nodding with satisfaction.  
  
"You! You're that girl I saved from the river!" Gohan said, amazed. "And the village, and the shelter, and, and.LIME! Yeah, I remember you!"  
  
"You know the crazy lady, Gohan?" Goten whispered, a frightened look on his face as he glanced at the girl who was revealed to be Lime.  
  
Gohan patted his brother's head and didn't answer. "How come you're at the Kame House, Lime?" he asked curiously. In ten minutes he would be berating himself for having asked the question, for the answer was overly long.  
  
"Come on inside, and I'll tell you everything," Lime said, opening the screen door and gesturing with her arm.  
  
//Wow! I don't believe it! After all these years I'm finally meeting him again! This is so exciting! He looks different without his blonde hair, but oh, well.OhmyGod! I'm meeting the strongest person in the universe! For the second time!// Lime's thoughts were all a blur.  
  
Gohan followed her inside reluctantly- he still wasn't sure if he trusted her. After all, they had met so long ago.Goten and Marron were left outside to play some more, after a stern word from Gohan that they weren't to damage *anything*.  
  
"Okay," Lime started when they were both comfortably settled on the couch. "Do you want me to start at the beginning, or just the reason why I'm here, at the Kame House?" None of her amazed mental comments reached her visage, as she was outwardly composed, admirably so, when one considered that she was meeting the person that she had looked up to for so long.  
  
"The beginning," Gohan said shortly.  
  
"All right." Lime tapped her face for a few moments, obviously gathering her thoughts. "Well, after you saved me at the river and stopped that gang from conning everyone into that shelter from Cell, I watched you battle Cell and everything. Of course, it was completely *obvious* that that Mr. Satan *idiot* wasn't the one who beat Cell." She scratched her chin. "I've wondered since then why no one else has picked up on that, but anyway.  
  
"I knew what really happened in that fight, but my grandpa told me not to tell anyone. From then on, I had only one goal in life," Lime continued. "I wanted to become strong enough to join the Z senshi and help protect the Earth whenever a threat rises."  
  
Gohan's eyes darkened. //Stupid girl,// he thought bitterly. //Why would anyone want to condemn themselves to this kind of life?//  
  
"You *do* know that our kind of battles never amount to any glory, don't you?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "People you care about get hurt right before your eyes, you perceive your own weaknesses; your eyes are opened in ways that you wouldn't want them to. And no one else in the world gives a shit as long as they can go about on their happy little lives, completely oblivious to any real danger."  
  
Lime didn't seem surprised at all that the innocent boy she had met seven years ago was gone.  
  
"Yes, I realize that," she said calmly, staring him straight in the eye. "But why I want to do this isn't about glory. First and above all, I love this planet, and its people, no matter what their faults. I want to help protect them, even if I don't get any credit, just so that they *can* get on with their lives and be happy. They *have* to be oblivious about it to be happy, otherwise they'd be wary and on their guard all the time. I don't want anyone to feel like they need to worry.  
  
"The other reason is maybe even more important to me than the first," Lime admitted, leaning forward and steepling her hands together, resting her chin on them. "I want to improve myself, know my own worth. I want to be the best that I can possibly be. I want to be without regrets, and never have to look back on missed opportunities.  
  
"My grandpa showed me how to fight when I was small, and I'd already been interested when you and your father came along." Gohan flinched when she said, 'your father'. "But when I met you, I knew that I could take it *so much further*. I wasn't limited to the perceptions of our society anymore, I was freed. And I want to keep that freedom," she concluded, sliding a glance at him to see if he had absorbed everything she'd said.  
  
Her little speech had reluctantly bought an amount of grudging respect from Gohan- she obviously understood the consequences of her actions, and really believed in everything she said. Of course, Gohan wasn't about to tell her that. It just wasn't his way anymore.  
  
//How much does she know about my past? Kuririn's? The entire Z senshi?// Gohan wondered. Did Kuririn trust her enough to tell her everything that they'd gone through? Including the fact that Gohan himself was half alien?  
  
"All right," was all he said, nodding. His face showed traces of approval, but that was all. Lime couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but she reminded herself of what Kuririn had said. //He's completely withdrawn into himself ever since his parents died, keep that in mind, girl!// Lime thought, determined to break through the demi-saiyajin's barriers and become his friend. //You can't expect him to open up in just one conversation!//  
  
Sighing, Lime went back to describing how she ended up at Kame House.  
  
"I trained under my grandpa until he couldn't teach me anything more," she explained. "I surpassed him about three years ago, but I was too unsure of myself to try and seek out a stronger instructor until he died, leaving me with no ties to my home. Anyway, before he died, he told me to follow my dream.  
  
"I entered a few tournaments and things while I searched for someone who could teach me to be like you- someone who could teach me to go beyond the limits of normal human strength and develop the powers that only a few have. Y'know, flying, chi blasts, etc." Lime grinned at Gohan, who managed a wince in return.  
  
Gohan shifted in his seat, suddenly restless. He was *extremely* uncomfortable with the idea that he had managed to become a role model for this girl he barely knew. //She wanted someone to teach her to be like me?// he thought, slightly panicked. //That's not good.No one should want to be like me. I'm a monster. I killed my own parents.//  
  
He wasn't allowed to continue this train of thought as Lime cut into it with the rest of her story. Gohan hoped that it would be over soon.  
  
"I came to this island a little less than two years ago because it was reportedly the home of the legendary Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. I wanted to train under him at the time." Lime grimaced. "Of course, that ended when I found out that he was perverted old man who was the least powerful of the Z senshi. I was fifteen at the time."  
  
Gohan frowned, thinking of something. "Wouldn't have Kuririn, Juuhachi, and Marron been here at that time?" //Kami, I mean, Dende knows that Kuririn would be a better teacher.//  
  
"Yeah, which was where I found my solution," Lime said, nodding. "When I told Kuririn-sensei how I met you, and he'd tested me to find out how strong I was, he agreed to train me. At first he used the same techniques the Turtle Hermit did, with the weighted turtle shells and everything, but I've been getting better." Her eyes sparkled with pride. "Even Juuhachi trains me sometimes, when she feels like it."  
  
"You got her to speak with you, let along interact with you," Gohan said, so serious-faced that Lime couldn't tell if he were joking or not. "Impressive."  
  
She bet on joking.  
  
"I know, aren't you just so proud of me?" Lime beamed semi-sarcastically.  
  
Gohan ignored her last comment to question her about her knowledge of his past. As it turned out, Kuririn *did* trust her enough to tell her about all of their adventures. ALL of them. The teen could tell from the glint in Lime's eyes that Kuririn had entertained her with embellished stories all the time. //Can't wait 'til she brings *that* up,// he thought.  
  
Gohan sighed heavily and ran a hand through his unruly raven locks. //Well, you learn something knew every day, I suppose,// he thought. Then he sat up as a thought occurred to him.  
  
"Hey, how come you're not in school? You can't be old enough to have graduated high school already, are you?" Gohan questioned, slightly accusing. After all, if he had to endure the hell of high school living, then he was going to find out why someone else didn't have to.  
  
"Erm," Lime managed as she smiled nervously. "No, I'm only seventeen. I'm.supposed to be in school, yeah. But, after all, it doesn't require much of an education to become a savior of the world, does it? Hehehe?"  
  
Gohan's frowning face clearly stated, 'hell yeah it does,' and Lime stopped laughing.  
  
"Bulma trapped me into agreeing to go to high school only earlier today," Gohan glowered. "I start on Monday. She say it'll be good for my social skills." //At least, that was the gist of it.//  
  
Lime's mouth dropped open. "You?" she squeaked. "Going to high school? After going to the far end of the galaxy and saving the universe who knows how many times? Wouldn't that be kind of." she trailed off.  
  
"Awkward?" he finished for her, surprised at how closely her words were to his own, when directed at Bulma.  
  
"Well, yeah," the girl said, shrugging.  
  
"That's exactly what I said," Gohan told her. "I don't exactly recall how she got me to agree to it," //Clever, clever Bulma.// "But the cinch is that I'm starting at Orange Star High on Monday." //Why are you talking to this girl, Gohan? Why are you opening up? Stop it, fool! You'll end up getting her killed! Anyone close to you dies, remember?!//  
  
Then the other half of his mind spoke up. ~~ Are you going to keep hiding for the rest of your life? Locking everyone out except for Goten? For that matter, he's the closest one to you, isn't he? Doesn't that make him directly in the line of fire? ~~  
  
//Shut up!// he raged. //Goten's strong enough to take care of himself, and besides, I'll *always* be there for him! The only reason I'm getting a little relaxed with this girl is that she knows my past, and Kuririn trusts her! You can't expect me to act this way with everyone!//  
  
The other voice was silent, and Gohan felt compelled to add a little something else defensively.  
  
//Besides, I really do need a friend my own age.// When had he started considering Lime a friend? Gohan became aware that he was scowling furiously. As Lime didn't know about his little mental conversation with himself, she took this to mean that he was extremely averse to going to high school, and was being sympathetic.  
  
"That's kinda pointless, isn't it?" she asked. "I mean, you're already really smart and, I dunno, didn't you study a lot when you were younger?"  
  
"Mmm-hm," Gohan said, leaving it at that.  
  
"Yeah, well, life sucks. And then you die. Or so I've heard."  
  
A mirthless grin spread across Gohan's face as he thought about how accurate that saying was. He hadn't heard it in a long time.  
  
"Actually, it's more like 'life sucks, then you die, only to get wished back for more strife and suffering, after which you die again." Gohan shrugged. "Or so I've heard. I've never experienced dying myself, personally."  
  
Lime's eyes had widened at how casually he spoke of death, but then, she figured he knew more about it than *almost* anyone on this planet. Almost, seeing as how other people *had* actually died and been wished back.  
  
"AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!" Gohan and Lime both started violently at the sound, leaping up in their seats. //An attack?!// Gohan thought wildly.  
  
Goten launched into the room, eyes frantically seeking and finding his brother, who he quickly hid behind. "Help me, Gohan!" he pleaded, huge, frightened eyes fixed on the older boy. "Sh-she's trying to-!!!"  
  
The door crashed open again, and Goten yelped, hiding his face in Gohan's leg and thinking, //If I can't see her, she can't see me! If I can't see her, she can't see me!//  
  
Both teens looked curiously at the source of Goten's terror, who had come running into the living room and was now standing at the center. Marron was staring at the top of Goten's head, (which was all of him that was visible,) with a strange grin on her face.  
  
The next moment, she took a step forward and said in a high-pitched voice, "C'mere, Goten! Here, Goten, Goten, Goten! Wanna have a little kissey- kissey?!"  
  
Goten gave a scream so loud that Gohan clutched his head in pain. Such a loud noise, at such close range, with saiyajin hearing! Argh!  
  
The small boy had meanwhile jumped up and ran out of the house, screaming bloody murder and waving his hands hysterically. "COOTIES!!!!" he shrieked.  
  
Marron followed him, giggling insanely. "I'll give ya a makeover, too, if you're good! Come back here! Doncha wanna be Marron's little dollie?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!"  
  
Lime and Gohan looked at each other, simultaneously sweatdropping.  
  
"I swear, there's something wrong with that girl," Lime muttered, biting her lip in an attempt to stop the laughter that threatened.  
  
"I didn't know little girls could be so.menacing," Gohan mumbled, a strange look overtaking his face as his lips twitched uncontrollably. //Don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh, oh Dende, don't laugh!!//  
  
They both stared out the door, then slowly looked at each other again. They both cracked.  
  
"Bwahahahahahaha!!!!" Lime fell to the ground and pounded on the floor, her stomach hurting from merriment. "Hehehehehe!!!"  
  
"Hahahahahahahaha-choke-ehem-whoo!Haaaaahahahahaha!!" Gohan had doubled over, clutching his stomach, and had tears in his eyes.  
  
As the sounds of laughter echoed in the room, occasionally overlapped by a young boy's screams and an even younger girl's crazy giggling, Fate smiled on her favorite child, glad that he had finally found a friend.  
-------oooo000ooo-------  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RaliNeoBlade: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sorry I took so long getting it out. IMPORTANT!!! Lime will NOT! I repeat, will NOT! end up as Gohan's girlfriend. They are going to be really close friends. That's it. Anyway, thanks for reading! Review! 


	4. Ch 3 Enter: The Golden Warrior

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, or any of its characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama. I own this plotline, however.  
  
AU plotline: What if Chichi had died having Goten, and Gohan blamed himself for everything?  
  
Note: The school system will *not* be Japanese, meaning they will move to different classrooms, not have the teachers come to them.  
  
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THE SHADOWS OF MY HEART  
  
Chapter Three-Enter: The Golden Warrior  
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He felt short. That was strange. What had happened to his last seven years of growth? Gohan opened his eyes in confusion and promptly screamed.  
  
Littering the ground all around him were bodies. Not just any bodies, though that would hardly have been better. There was Yamucha, his arm twisted at a strange and unnatural angle. A random Cell Jr. appeared out of nowhere and grinned maliciously at Gohan. Then he picked up Yamucha's mutilated arm and started kicked him in the side.  
  
There was Kuririn, trying to push himself up weakly but always being beaten back down. High, trilling laughter from seven different places sent chills down Gohan's spine, and a deeper chuckle, menacing and delighted, dripped with threats of pain.  
  
There was the young man from the future, Mirai Trunks, who was doing better than Kuririn and Yamucha, but it wouldn't be enough to save him in the long run, Gohan knew. He watched helplessly, screaming, begging Cell to stop, desperately trying to claw his way to his friends, but the way was blocked.  
  
And there was his father. He was so drained from his fight with Cell that he could barely managed to put up a fight, but he did what he was capable of. Each time he hit the dirt, the air would leave his lungs in a soft, wheezing *whoosh* that sank tendrils of despair into Gohan's heart. Each time Gokuu was struck to the ground, he managed to somehow turn his head towards his son and smile, oh so painfully, with so much love and faith shining through his onyx eyes that Gohan was terrified, and he became a sobbing four-year old all over again, wanting to help his daddy.  
  
He had to help his father- he *had* to! He couldn't watch those trusting eyes dim in death, lose the sparkle that held his life together. It was unthinkable, it just couldn't happen. But every time the air left Gokuu's lungs, it was a second closer to happening, and Gohan was terrified. He *had* to do something- but how, how, how?!  
  
//Think, you worthless piece of-!!// Gohan cursed himself. If he was so smart, if he was so strong- oh why did his father think he was so strong?- why couldn't he do something?!  
  
Abruptly, Gohan wasn't scared any more. He was numb. Cell was in front of him, bloating and still laughing horribly. Cell was growing and growing, and Gohan simply shut down, because he had failed. Again. Gokuu's faith had been misplaced. He had betrayed his father's trust. And because of Gohan..everyone would die. His knees hit the dirt, as if he couldn't support his own weight.  
  
Then he looked up, and those eyes were gazing at him so lovingly, with so much pride that Gohan nearly couldn't take it. //Why are you proud of me?! Why do you look at me like nothing I've done matters?! I've failed! I've failed, I'm worthless, I didn't listen! Why must you still love me when I hate myself for what I've done to you, to everyone else?!//  
  
"Goodbye, my son."  
  
And he put a hand on Cell's side. //W-why would he do that? Why is he looking at me as if to memorize every detail? We'll be together in the Other World.Why does he sound like he's apologizing when everything, everything is my fault?//  
  
And then Gokuu disappeared, just as the impact of what his father had done hit Gohan. His eyes widened in shock, and the cries of the other Z- senshi reached him. Then, even his knees couldn't hold him anymore, and his hands scrabbled at the dirt desperately, then pounded on it.  
  
His father, the pillar of strength and love in his life, was gone. And in vain, though he wouldn't know that until later. Gohan screamed as though his heart had been shredded to pieces in his chest.  
  
"DAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"  
  
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"DAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"  
  
Gohan shot bolt upright in bed, his throat constricted and hoarse from screaming, his legs tangled in the sheets, and his whole body drenched with sweat. He panted and shuddered as he fell back on the mattress, his eyes wild and panicked for a while, until the throes of the dream had subsided.  
  
His whole frame convulsed with dry sobs, but he wouldn't let the tears fall, instead biting the inside of his cheek viciously enough to draw blood. When he had finally quieted, he sent a thanks to Dende that Goten slept as if dead. He had never once woken when Gohan was in the grip of his nightmares, which had always been often enough. He had had this dream about once a week.up until a month ago. Then it started coming nearly every night.  
  
Gohan lay very still for a few moments, then got up and walked out to the window of his second story room. He hadn't moved into the master bedroom when Chichi died- no, that stayed untouched, and the door unopened except for when Gohan was exceptionally depressed, and wanted to drown himself in memory.  
  
He now resided in the guest bedroom, down the hall from the master. Goten slept in Gohan's old room, except for during thunderstorms, when he crawled into Gohan's bed and wouldn't budge until his brother slid in next to him with a sigh and let the small boy snuggle close into the protective embrace.  
  
Gohan watched how the shadows and moonlight played across his bare chest, then looked out to the night sky pensively, and saw that the moon was full. But that was okay, he reasoned, since Goten's tail had been removed at birth, and he himself had been missing the appendage for some time. The full moon posed no threat now, nothing posed a threat anymore, but Gohan kept on guard, anyway.  
  
Sighing, and knowing that he wouldn't be able to get to sleep for some time, the demi-saiyajin padded silently across the room, out the door, and down the stairs, until he stopped with his hand on his brother's door. It wasn't closed all the way- Goten had always liked for it to be open just a little, so that some light could spill through when Gohan was up late studying. That way, he could always reassure himself that he wasn't alone.  
  
Gohan pushed the opening wide enough so that he could slip through and watch Goten sleep. The small warrior child had his head lolling at the foot of the bed, one foot on the pillow where his head *should* have been, and the other leg hung off the bed. His mouth was wide open, and he was.not exactly snoring, but breathing very, very loudly.  
  
The tall figure of his brother looked him for a while, mystified with the innocence that he saw there. //I was that innocent,// Gohan thought wistfully. //All the way up until Dad died. Even after Radditz and the other saiyajin, Garlic Jr., Furiiza, and the androids.All the way up until Cell.// From this point on his thoughts darkened, and he left Goten's room, not wanting to soil the pure atmosphere of the tyke's abode.  
  
He reflected on these thoughts over a cup of hot milk in the kitchen, turning them around and looking at them from every angle. He was so preoccupied that he almost- *almost* -didn't notice the familiar presence hovering just outside.  
  
Struggling hard to wipe his face clear of emotion, Gohan called out, "You might as well come in, Piccolo. I was going to come see you tomorrow anyway."  
  
There was no click of the door, but suddenly Gohan heard the rustle of that white cape right behind him. He didn't know how the namekjin had gotten in without use of the door, but he didn't mind, so he didn't pay it much attention.  
  
"Why were you going to do that?" the gravelly voice inquired, sounding neither upset nor impatient. It was simply Piccolo's voice, as it always had been, and for some reason that eased Gohan, just the smallest bit.  
  
The youth chose not to answer the question directly, since he knew that Piccolo would derive his meaning no matter what he said. He knew this was true, even though they hadn't talked formally in seven long years. But the years didn't seem to matter.  
  
"I'm starting school tomorrow," Gohan stated, glancing up to see what his old sensei made of this. Would it ruffle the enigmatic man? "High school, that is." No outward reaction, other than the slight twitching at the side of Piccolo's mouth, and Gohan didn't know if it was intended to be a smile or a frown.  
  
"Bulma's idea, was it not." It wasn't a question, and Gohan frowned, //Hey.//  
  
"You're cheating," the young saiyajin said abruptly, a slight scowl marring his flawless features. "You were supposed to be all surprised when I told you, but you've been hanging around Dende, lately, haven't you? He's been keeping you up to date on everything that's gone on, hasn't he?"  
  
"He *is* the God of Earth, you know," Piccolo said, and the twitch of his lips was most definitely a smile, this time. Or maybe a smirk. "All seeing, all knowing, that sort of thing."  
  
"That little sneak," Gohan muttered, without malice. He looked down at the floor, then sighed, and looked up again. "Well? Are you going to say anything?"  
  
Piccolo didn't, for a few moments, while he leaned against the cupboard behind him.  
  
"A bit pointless for you, isn't it?" he allowed finally. Gohan smiled, a genuine smile that was so different from the half-hearted, bitter ones he usually gave.  
  
"Yeah." And he left it at that. They just stayed like that for a while, in a comfortable silence that didn't seem at all awkward, despite spending so much time completely cut off. His mentor wasn't pressuring, blaming, or accusing Gohan of anything, though the boy felt that he deserved it.  
  
"Goten's gotten really big, hasn't he?" Gohan broke the silence. He wasn't really thinking about what he said. His brother was always on the edge of his thoughts, and so it seemed only naturally to bring him up.  
  
"Yes. And he's quite powerful, too," Piccolo said, nodding slightly. "I've sensed you sparring from time to time. Although I've seen nothing that indicates that he has a hidden power like yours, he has great potential."  
  
A tremor ran through Gohan at the mention of his secret, terrible power, though he didn't know why. He used the transformation often enough, had even almost transcended beyond it. Maybe it was because the last time he'd used it in Piccolo's presence had been during the Cell Games.  
  
"You plan to keep training him, of course?" The question brought Gohan from his reverie.  
  
"Y-yes. Definitely. Until I have no more to teach him, or until he surpasses me," the boy said quietly, looking someone morose.  
  
Somehow, Piccolo got the feeling that Goten wouldn't ever surpass Gohan, but he wasn't about to say so. It wasn't the sort of thing that Gohan would take comfort in.  
  
Instead, he just said, "Hmm," and the subject seemed closed. A few more minutes ticked by in silence, broken only by a loud gargling sound coming from Goten's room, but neither of them paid any attention to it. Gohan was again the first one to speak.  
  
"Are you angry with me?" he asked, forcing himself to lift his head and look Piccolo straight in the eye, even when he was trembling with unjustifiable fear at his core. What if Piccolo was angry? What if he wasn't forgiven? If Piccolo couldn't forgive him, then how could Gokuu ever?  
  
"Why should I be angry?" Did he- did he actually sound *amused*? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?  
  
"Because I avoided you- everyone -after Mom died. Because I've never tried to talk to you after then. Because I was so selfishly caught up in my own grief that I forgot about everyone else." Piccolo was surprised at Gohan's level tone, and the steadiness of his voice, but also deeply proud.  
  
"Those are not reasons," he said, shaking his head. "It was-a horrible thing that you went through, Gohan, even in our world of horrible things- I.would have made it worse if I'd tried to make it better. What you needed most then was your own way to make it through alive, not the advice of someone else. Grief is personal."  
  
Gohan nodded, surprised at his normally reserved teacher's eloquence. He hadn't realized that before, but.yes, it was.  
  
"But now you're ready to start living again, for yourself and others, and I hope you have the best of luck. Rest assured that you will be seeing more of me now, whether that should be your wish or not." And with that, Piccolo clapped his hand on Gohan's shoulder, and was gone in a whirl of white cape.  
  
Gohan blinked, then half-smiled and said, "Show-off."  
  
Then he realized that it was four-thirty in the morning, he had had almost no sleep, and that his first day of school started at eight o'clock. Further, he had to take Goten to Capsule Corp. beforehand, and get to school at least fifteen minutes early to get his schedule.  
  
"Shit."  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
".and stay out of Vejiita's way, don't try to blow up the gravity room, don't touch any of Bulma's inventions, ask before you get food, don't just raid the refrigerator, and *don't* let Trunks talk you into any crazy stunts like last time, ok, gaki-chan?" Gohan finished, eyeing his brother severely.  
  
Goten looked up, his cheeks stuffed with food, his eyes wide and innocent. "Huh?"  
  
Gohan slapped his forehead and groaned. He really needed some more sleep. "Just, just don't get into any trouble, please?" he sighed.  
  
"Of course not, Ani!" Goten said, nodding vigorously, and if Gohan hadn't known better, he would have thought the little devil was being absolutely sincere. As it was, he just ran his hand through his hair for what must have been the hundredth time since he'd woken the hyperactive kid up and grimaced.  
  
"All right, gaki-chan," he frowned. "Two minutes, then we're going." At this announcement, Goten began shoveling food into his mouth more frantically, trying to cram as much in as he could.  
  
Our young hero sighed again. Because he'd wanted to get as much sleep as possible before his first day, he'd decided to use the adaptation of Gokuu's Instant Transmission that he'd come up with a few years back to get him to Bulma's place. Normally, he didn't like using it because of the memories it incurred, so as soon as they were in the city he'd go about getting to places in the normal way.  
  
"Time's up, Goten," Gohan said, knowing that it hadn't been two minutes yet and smiling at his younger brother's indignant splutters. He couldn't get much out, though, because his mouth was stuffed, so Gohan just grabbed his arm and concentrated.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
Bulma hummed happily, zipping about in preparation for Goten's arrival. Vejiita was closeted in the gravity room, per usual, but Trunks was bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently.  
  
"When's he gonna get here, Mom?" he complained finally as they headed to the living room.  
  
"Not long, dear," Bulma said absentmindedly, then rounded on her son unexpectedly, sticking her finger in his face.  
  
Trunks eeped.  
  
"Now you listen to me," the blue-haired inventor said viciously, "You will *behave* yourself during the times Goten is over-there will be *no* leaving Capsule Corp. grounds unless I give you permission, and for Kami's *sake* don't bother your father. Do. You. Under. Stand. Me?"  
  
"Yes," Trunks said, nodding vigorously and staring apprehensively at the finger still pointing threateningly at him. Several years later he would marvel that she had been able to make him feel so small, even though he was many times more powerful than his mother.  
  
"Good," Bulma nodded, satisfied, turned around-and immediately screamed as Gohan and Goten appeared in her living room, right where she'd been about to step.  
  
"Gah! Don't do that to me Gohan!" she shrieked, a hand over her heart. "You gave me a heart attack!"  
  
"Sorry about that, Bulma," Gohan said blithely, not in the least bit guilty- he even offered her a smile that she wasn't sure was genuinely apologetic, or just smug. Now that he was really going to school, he was feeling a bit resentful, and actually felt gleeful that he had startled Bulma. //Serves her right, springing this high school thing on me.//  
  
He watched as Goten scampered over to Trunks and then they disappeared around the corner. "Tell me if Goten gives you any trouble, all right?"  
  
Composing herself, Bulma said sweetly, "No, I'm sure he'll be a perfect little *angel*," smoothing her hair, and obviously under the impression that Goten was exactly like Gokuu, and that since she'd known Gokuu, she could well handle Goten. Gohan's face twitched. Oh, would she learn some things in the next few hours.  
  
"You just go off and have fun now," Bulma said, shooshing him toward the front door.  
  
Gohan's expression soured, then he thought about what Chichi would be doing if she had been there to usher him off to his first day of school. The slightly amused, slightly exasperated look on his face twisted into a grimace, but he managed a dry, "I'm sure," so as not to worry Bulma.  
  
He headed towards the door, slightly annoyed when Bulma followed him, and actually pushed him out the door.  
  
"I'm going, I'm going, yeesh," he said irritably. "If I didn't know better I'd think you thought I was going to chicken out." Gohan saw the sheepish look on her face and scowled.  
  
"I-am-*going*," he said finally, emphasizing it as if it would erase her suspicions. Then he moseyed down the sidewalk slowly, just to make her squirm.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
Gohan set a brisk pace, fairly confident that he'd be early enough to get his schedule, but not wanting to chance it. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. //Is this really such a big deal to Bulma?// he wondered, and knew the answer before the thought was even completed.  
  
//Oh, well, if it gets her off my back.// Gohan stuck his hands into his pockets and frowned. He had been prepared for Bulma to set conditions on bringing him 'back to life,' but wasn't high school a little much? //But if anything.weird happens, I swear by Kami I am so out of there,// he thought crossly.  
  
Feeling annoyed with himself at how temperamental he was being, Gohan smoothed his features into a careful mask of indifference, just in case any morning risers caught him with his guard down.  
  
Gohan noted with detachment that he was walking down Cherry Avenue, and that he really ought to get out the directions that Bulma had scribbled down. Doing so, he discovered that he was halfway to school, and it was only seven-forty. Gohan nodded to himself. That left five minutes to get to school so he could get his schedule.  
  
Something like a smirk crossed his face. Simple. //I could have had five more minutes' sleep,// he thought, with a touch of irony.  
  
After a few minutes of walking leisurely along, Gohan slowed and frowned. There was no one else on the sidewalks, and no cars in the street. It looked, to be honest, utterly deserted for a mainstream street. His eyes narrowed warily, and his frame tensed.  
  
//It's way too quiet,// he thought tersely. //It may only be seven-thirty, but there should still be plenty of people around.//  
  
It was then that he heard the noise.  
  
His head swiveled to glare intensely down the street. What was that? He listened carefully, straining with his saiyajin enhanced senses. There! Gunfire, down the street. It was pretty faint.but it was gunfire, all right.  
  
Immediately, Gohan blurred out of sight with his faster-than-the-eye-can- see speed, and was at the scene in seconds. It was a bank. A bank being robbed, to be more specific. He'd arrived just in time to witness the black masked robbers coming out of the bank.  
  
The demi-saiyajin swore viciously, ducking behind a building, mind instantly zooming along several potential courses of action. He had to get in there, now, before anyone got hurt. It wasn't exactly his area of expertise, being far lower on the criminal scale than the mass genocide that he usually prevented, but he was *right there*, and he couldn't let anything happen without another load on his already heavy conscience.  
  
Making a split second decision, Gohan flared easily into super saiyajin-it was so easy, now, horribly easy to make that transformation from calm black haired warrior to aqua-eyed, gold licked demon with explosive, destructive anger simmering just below the surface.  
  
Just as he was about to go flying into the fray, he realized- he could be recognized by the badge on his shirt. Biting off a curse, Gohan concentrated on a trick he had adapted from Piccolo, and a light shimmering- not from his aura-fell over his body instantly. He thought of the first things that popped into his head-his father, and his saiyajin heritage.  
  
When the glow faded, barely a second later, he was wearing a black bodysuit under new-style saiyajin armor, the kind Bulma had designed those years ago, white gloves, and a red strip of cloth tied around his forehead. But also, he had on baggy orange pants, and black boots. All in all, he was clothed as a traditional saiyajin on his upper half, and like his father on the other half.  
  
A frown flitted across his face, halfway bewildered, halfway sad. //What weird combo,// he thought, then decided, //But I like it.// And he dashed around the corner, scarcely two seconds after arriving on the scene.  
  
The thieves were loading their loot into a getaway truck, keeping the police at bay with machine guns while civilians huddled behind squad cars and in alleys fearfully. Someone who looked like the officer in charge was yelling into his walkie-talkie over the sound of occasional gunshots. Gohan didn't pay much attention to any of that, though-he leapt over the police cars and immediately his elbow collided with a burglar's face.  
  
He paused for a moment, smiling with satisfaction at the crunching sound, and watched as the man dropped unconscious to the pavement. There was silence for a second, then-  
  
"Holy shit, who the hell is that guy?" It was a small man in black at the driver's seat of the truck.  
  
"Who cares, shoot 'im!" someone else yelled, and a barrage of bullets was loosed on the half-saiyajin teen. None of them hit, and the police as well as the thieves were blinking in confusion at the empty spot where the youth had stood a second before.  
  
"Wha.!"  
  
"Where'd he go?!"  
  
"Peekaboo." Gohan reappeared in front of one of the thugs, hopping nimbly over a discarded sack of money and gracefully kicking him into the bank wall, ten feet away, hard enough for it to crack. //If it weren't for the audience, this would be almost.fun,// Gohan thought.  
  
"He's just a kid you idiots! Shoot him! Shoot him!"  
  
Another robber recovered from his shock and threw a punch, while the rest of his cohorts either cocked their guns or hurried into the truck. Gohan smoothly turned his head, and the fist flew by a scant centimeter from his ear, before he almost disdainfully cracked his knuckles on the man's chin. He went flying, and didn't get up.  
  
There was a slight hesitation from the four remaining thugs, so Gohan reached out a hand and motioned to them. He allowed his eyes to narrow and his mouth to tilt in a dangerous smile.  
  
"Come and get me," he crooned, his blood singing. Without of waiting for them to do just that, he flew into their midst and started letting loose. When he dropped the last one to the ground, he noticed that the truck was speeding away rapidly, swerving in panic.  
  
Gohan's face twitched in disgust. //How could they leave their friends behind?// his human side wondered. Filthy cowards! his saiyajin side crowed. They abandon their comrades! It will mean their blood dripping on my hands! Kill them all!  
  
Instead, Gohan lifted his arm and yelled, sending a pulsing chi-wave after them. When it impacted, the men inside screamed, and the truck crashed end over end, finally skidding to a stop, upside-down and completely totaled.  
  
Though his human side was tsking at him for wasting energy, his saiyajin side was near in hysterics with glee at causing another being bodily harm. Ignoring the little angel/human and devil/saiyajin running around on his shoulders, Gohan turned around and eyed the police and the huge crowd of civilians that had gathered. //Don't those cops know to keep people away from a dangerous area?// he thought with annoyance.  
  
"Wow." someone said in awe, echoing the sentiments of everyone gathered there. Gohan sweatdropped, then saluted, and shot off into the air.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
...... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! OH MY KAMI!!! I'M LAAAATE!!!!!"  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
Videl sprinted down the street, her heart pumping wildly as she approached the police chief. //Oh my god, there's a huge crowd, did anybody die?! Oh my god!// She pushed her way through the crowd hurriedly, ("Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.LOOK, will you GET out of the WAY?!") and stopped apprehensively by Police Chief Warren, who was jotting something down in his notebook.  
  
"What happened, Chief?" she asked. "I see you don't need my help.Did anyone get hurt?"  
  
He turned around carefully. "Nobody but the burglars got hurt, Videl," he assured her.  
  
"Then what's wrong?" she inquired, confused.  
  
"Well.it's just that." he paused. "There was this kid, okay? He looked somewhere around your age. He just popped out of nowhere, dodged bullets, beat the crap out of the thieves, and.when he yelled as the truck was getting away, it just flipped right over. It was incredible. Impossible." He motioned towards the wreck, where ambulance sirens were going off. "And then he *flew* away!"  
  
Videl stared blankly. "Let me get this straight," she began slowly. "He could dodge bullets, beat up a bunch of martially trained criminals, and make the truck crash when he wasn't near it? And fly?" She made little fluttering motions with her hands. Chief Warren nodded, looking kind of sheepish.  
  
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but everyone in this crowd saw him, ask anyone," he said defensively. "This guy was amazing. If I didn't know better, I'd say he could fight almost as well as you."  
  
Videl rolled her eyes, //yeah, right,// then she rubbed her temples. "Well, who was he?" she asked crossly.  
  
"Nobody knows," Chief Warren told her. "All that I can tell you is that he was dressed really strangely; some kind of armor and orange pants. Looked like some kind of weird warrior. And he had green eyes, and his hair.it was gold."  
  
"Blond, then?" Videl said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No," he said uncomfortably. "Gold. And it was glowing."  
  
"Glowing gold hair," Videl repeated. Then she buried her face in her hands. "Great. A vigilante freak. Just my luck."  
  
//I don't believe this!// she thought angrily. //If they don't go for being a criminal, they have to be a superhero! I have *enough* to deal with, and now I'm going to have to track down some weirdo in tights who thinks he's up to saving the world!! .Okay, so not in tights, but same diff!//  
  
Videl turned away from the scene with a scowl etched on her face, and began heading towards Orange Star High. //He didn't even approach the police about working with them! He could have been endangering people's lives! And what's worse, he didn't even talk to me! No consideration! Yellow bellied coward! Couldn't stand up to the pressure of facing Videl Satan! He *should* be scared! Encroaching on other people's territory, *that's* what this is..// ::grumble, grumble, grumble::  
  
She was nearly late by the time she got to school, but she hadn't been in any particular hurry. Everyone in school knew about her activities with the police, so she was granted special license by her teachers. Or maybe it was just because she was Hercule Satan's daughter.  
  
When she entered her English classroom, she was shocked to learn that the news about the mysterious vigilante had already spread to the school. In fact, she thought, if it was already at the school, it was probably all over the city by now.  
  
"This is sooo awesome! The Golden Warrior! It's a perfect romantic setup!" Erasa gushed enthusiastically, the only one in the room who was safe from Videl's dangerous expression, and could therefore ignore it. "I mean, if he's a fighter, he's bound to be hot! And a superhero, too! Can't your just *imagine* being saved from some peril by him at the last instant?! Being swept away in his arms?!"  
  
Everyone in the room sweatdropped, and Videl snorted, the thought utterly incomprehensible to her.  
  
"Yeah, *sure*," she yawned. "I don't *do* the damsel in distress routine. I'd just beat up the bad guys and go home. Or beat up the bad guys, then beat up the knight in shining armor for assuming that all girls are weak and need to be saved, and *then* go home."  
  
Everyone minus Erasa sweatdropped once more, but Erasa simply brushed this off airily. "Yes, of course that's what *you'd* do, Videl, sweetheart. But other girls aren't fortunate enough to be the daughter of Mr. Satan." She winked at Videl. "Besides, this way, you get to spend your crime fighting time working with a hot guy!"  
  
"Oh, please!" Videl scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I will *not* be working with him. I'll be chasing him down to try and find out who he is and turn him in. I don't allow vigilantism in my city."  
  
Erasa huffed, but left the subject be. At least, she didn't say anything more about it to Videl. Instead, she immediately turned around and began discussing it with several other girls in the class.  
  
A motion caught Videl's eye, and she turned her head to see Sharpner holding out a mirror and preening. She raised an eyebrow appraisingly. Sharpner worked out at her father's gym a lot, *and* he had blonde hair. No matter what the Chief said, Videl just didn't believe that glowing hair existed.  
  
"So, Sharpner," she said casually, leaning toward him. "You wouldn't happen to be the Golden Warrior, would you?"  
  
"In you dreams, babe," Sharpner laughed. "I don't have time for to be a superhero when I could be at the gym. And just *think* what the stress would do to my hair! It could go stringy!"  
  
//Well, *that* question is answered,// Videl thought, giving a mental sound of disgust and leaning back into her chair. //Where in the world am I going to start looking for this guy, anyway? He could be anywhere, and I really don't know much about what he looks like. Hell, I don't even know how *old* he is! I could be looking for a guy in his fifties!!//  
  
She thought for a few moments more, ignoring the noisy chatter around her like a person who tuned it out often. //The best thing to do is to wait until he shows up again,// she decided finally. //People like him just can't give it up. I bet, the next crime I go to he'll be there. All I have to do is make sure I get there first. Simple enough.//  
  
That settled, Videl smiled confidently. It was only a matter of time.  
  
Then she, along with the rest of class, was startled to the edge of her seat as the door opened loudly and a total stranger walked in.  
  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
  
Gohan fingered his schedule, scowling. The goddamn principal had chewed him out for being late, saying how this was "the finest available academy for high school learning around", and he "should be ashamed of himself", and did he "want a bad record on his first day?", and "you're going to give the school a bad name!" Gohan himself was usually quite punctual-which just made it all the worse to sit and have to endure the ranting.  
  
"Note to self," he muttered. "Avoid all further confrontations with principal." Not to mention that, since the man had taken a disliking to him, he had been detained further to undergo an entrance exam. Gohan rather thought that the guy had slipped him a *college* entrance exam, but it didn't matter. The stuff was child's play, really, and he had finished it quickly, passing it with 100% in every subject. And after that, boy, did the principal change his tune!  
  
Giving a little sigh, Gohan focused on finding his classes. It should have been no problem, but damned if the school wasn't shaped like a maze.  
  
"Room 206, room 206." So intent was the demi-saiyajin on his quest that it was a few minutes before he did a double-take and realized that he'd already passed the room. There was chattering inside, and Gohan glanced once again at his impossible schedule. First period- English. //Oh, right, like there's anything in this class I don't already know,// he scoffed, tacitly leaving out that he was at school to work on his social skills, not his education.  
  
//Maybe Lime will feel sorry for me and enroll, too,// he thought wistfully for a moment, then shook his head. No, he was being stupid. Even if he was fairly sure that she would join him if he asked, he was uncomfortable with the thought of having an ever-present friend, and he wouldn't wish this hell on her, anyway. That he was even thinking about it showed he was desperate, and he did *not* like being desperate, so he knew that he wouldn't ask her when he saw her again.  
  
Wiping his face perfectly smooth, and clearing his mind of troublesome thoughts, Gohan pushed the door open with a bang and entered the classroom. There was a sudden hush as everyone took him in, and then whispers flew across the room. Gohan nearly cried when he saw a girl with short-cropped blond hair sitting near a largely muscled boy with long blond hair.  
  
//Why, oh why are *they* here?// Gohan cried to mentally. //Oh, I get it. Dende, this is your sick joke to get back at me for not visiting more often, isn't it? Isn't it?!//  
  
"Oh, hello, you must be the new student," the teacher's polite, clipped tones intruded into his thoughts, and Gohan was pulled back into the present.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," he said quietly, walking over toward her and handing her a note that the principal had given him. "I got lost."  
  
"That's quite all right," the lady said with a friendly smile, and Gohan took a closer look at her. She was a rather petite young woman with dirty blond hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, and squarish, green glasses perched on her nose. When she smiled, a small dimple appeared in her left cheek. All in all, she looked pleasant enough, Gohan concluded.  
  
"The principal phoned me while you were on your way," she informed him, sliding him an awed look. Then she turned to the class. "Everyone, this is your new classmate. You could learn a lot from him, he got *perfect* scores on the entrance exams." More furious whispering among the students.  
  
Gohan offered her a hint of a sheepish smile-the best he could offer-unused to the praise. He was taken aback when she blushed furiously and cleared her throat, looking away from him. Gohan frowned again.  
  
"I am Ms. Azriel, Mr. Son. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class and tell them a bit about yourself, hm?" she said hastily, sitting down at her desk and burying her nose in some papers, her cherry red forehead the only part of her face still visible.  
  
"Okay," Gohan said, sneaking an suspicious glance at her. Why had she blushed when he smiled at her? Then he slapped on his indifferent mask and switched on his don't-get-close-to-me forcefield before turning to the class.  
  
He opened his mouth, and was momentarily put off when that girl-what was her name, Ersera? Erasa? that was it-along with a few other girls, burst into fanatical giggles. Gohan winced and automatically shot her a sort of unpleasant look, but he couldn't help it! The high pitched shrieking just wasn't good for his ears. She didn't seem to notice, anyway, but the black- haired girl sitting next to her definitely did.  
  
She fixed her blue gaze on him in open, insulting challenge and Gohan bristled under her hostile, scorning stare. He didn't like being looked at that way; it was the way enemies looked at him when they only saw a small boy they could readily crush.  
  
Gohan subconsciously began to snarl-to reveal his rather sharp canines-but remembered himself at the last moment. Instead, he settled for flicking his eyes away from her disdainfully. He felt a small spike in her chi, and was satisfied that she knew he'd snubbed her. The whole encounter took about five seconds.  
  
"I'm Son Gohan," he said bluntly, removing any inflection from his voice and crossing his arms in an unconsciously antisocial gesture. "I live out near the mountains, and have been home-schooled up until this point."  
  
He pulled up his mouth in a way that was more like baring his teeth than a proper smile. Several people shivered, from a thrill of excitement or an elusive fear.  
  
He snapped his gaze quickly up to that impertinent girl again, and was perversely pleased when he saw she was scowling.  
  
He stretched the not-smile a little wider. "Pleased to meet you."  
-------oooo000oooo-------  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RaliNeoBlade: Finally, the Golden Warrior makes his appearance, and the plots gets off its lazy ass and starts to move. IMPORTANT!!!!--Saiyaman will NOT be appearing in this fic. Gohan will remain the Golden Warrior, or just 'Warrior'. I consider the Great Saiyaman an embodiment of the non-AU Gohan's geekiness, and am therefore doing away with him entirely.  
  
Rali: I'm extremely sorry that this took so long to update. You're probably all sure that I'd abandoned this completely, but I haven't. Actually, I had half of this chapter done AGES ago, but I've been quite uninspired since then. I'm really sorry. I'm sort of a sporadic writer-I can only write when I get inspiration, so it'll probably be a while before the next chapter, too.(sigh) I'm really sorry. School's been hectic, too, but that's no excuse.Anyway, thanks for all your lovely reviews on the previous chapters! ^_^ Read and review. 


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